Gone
by RP Havens
Summary: Rachel West is dead or so Voldemort thinks. The only people who know the truth are her friends and girlfriend, Hermione. When her secret is found out by the wrong people, Harry must spring into action to keep his friend safe, even if it means leaving everyone else in the dark. While in hiding the soul piercer is hanuted by spectors telling of a uncertain future...Sequel to Promises
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Loosing Control**

Night had finally fallen over the town; a welcome sign to the teen as he stared out his window, signaling that another day was behind him. Another day without incident, another day that she remained hidden at home, and one more day closer to being reunited with all his friends. The summer days passed by more slowly than the one before it and the school year still seemed forever away. Even though in reality it would be starting in less than a month. With a deep sigh, he flopped down loudly onto his bed, causing the springs inside to scream. Staring up at the cold blank ceiling, he pictured the red velvet canopy he soon would be sleeping under, and this comforted him.

Sleep had never really been his friend; most of the nights of his life had been plagued with nightmares that would have caused grown men to never close their eyes again. But still, at the age of almost seventeen, he pushed on, trying to put what he saw every time he decided to chance a trip to the land of dreams behind him. This summer was no exception as most of his dreams caused him to wake up in cold sweats, and nearly screaming. He didn't know what it was that made them more horrific as of recently, but he knew it must have something to with his newest friend.

He knew that she was safe in her parents' house all the way on the other side of the ocean, but still at night he dreamed of her death. It all happened in slow motion as it did on that fateful day last December, as he watched her take a knife to the stomach instead of his best friend and her girlfriend. Racing to her side, the life drained from her and pooled onto the fallen snow. It by every right should have been a fatal wound, but some miracle she had managed to survive. But he could not let up the illusion that she had perished that night or else he would surely sign her death certificate. His dreams had never been a safe place for him, and were often invaded by his enemy, who also had an intense interest in his newest friend.

The eighteen year old female was no mere muggle. In fact she was a rare magical being called a soul piercer. A person who could, by simply making prolonged eye contact, see straight into another's soul. Flashes would fill her mind as important moment in that person's life that helped mold them into who they currently were, would play like a movie. It wasn't that much of a burden, and most times it ended relatively quickly, but there some instances where she totally lost herself. In order to remain in control of herself, she had to remain focused. If even for a split second she allowed the other person's current emotion to affect her, she would totally be consumed by it. It had only happened a few times in her life, but those were enough for her.

Soul piercers only appeared every few generations, which meant finding one was a task in itself. So when Lord Voldemort had one willing pledge herself to him to save her girlfriend, he couldn't help but be delighted in his find. He had many hopes for adding a soul piercer to his band of death eaters, but luckily for her he now, like the rest of the wizarding world, thought she was dead. If he ever found out that she was in fact alive and back home in the United States then he surely would return to retrieve his newest pledge.

Her secret was safe with a handful of people, who would rather give up their own lives then reveal her whereabouts. Unfortunately for one, he wouldn't even have to say anything to break the secret.

"I am sorry, I must saddle you with a very difficult task," the old headmaster had said right after he had returned her home to her family after months of her being missing. "As you already know, Voldemort is deeply connected with you and can peer into your mind at any moment. We also know that you are more susceptible to him in your dreams, but you must try to control your dreams."

"I don't understand, sir," he asked as he looked at the weary wizard, he hadn't been looking his best as of recently. "How am I to do that?"

With a gentle smile, Dumbledore took his seat behind his desk. "Every night before you go to sleep, you must think of only Rachel's death. That way if you happened to dream about her she will still appear to be deceased. You know what will happen if Voldemort would ever discover that she was in fact alive."

The Gryffindor grew silent, thinking about losing his friend all over again. They all already thought her dead once before, and it nearly destroyed them all, especially Hermione. Not only would he be devastated over losing Rachel but he knew that it would send his best friend back into that dark place over losing her love again.

"Yes, sir, I have a strong idea of what would happen," he answered inhaling deeply. "Don't worry you can count on me."

So now every night before he went to sleep, Harry Potter had to meditate on the last thought Voldemort had of the soul piercer in order to keep her out of harm's way. Harry knew they were just dreams, but it didn't matter as the nightmare got more and more intense as the nights passed. At first it was just the exact occurrence of that night in the forest, but after a few weeks more and more of his friends began to fall victim to the knife as well. Then most recently Harry became the wielder of the blade, slashing his friends to the ground, instead of the deranged Bellatrix Lestrange.

The burn in his eyes began as it did at this time every night, signaling that it was nearly midnight. Closing his eyes for a brief moment he couldn't help but smile knowing they would all shortly be reunited at the Burrow in a few days. Then from there they would all head back to Hogwarts while Rachel would begin her freshman year at the University of Glasgow.

_It's worth it_, he thought happily imagining all the happy memories she must be having this summer, _if it keeps her alive. _

In the time before sleep could grasp him completely, his ears filled with white noise. As soon as he realized what had happened, Harry shot up into a sitting position, the buzzing still loudly in his head. "No," he whispered loudly trying to hear his own voice over the static. "I didn't fall asleep, I couldn't have fallen asleep!"

Leaping to his feet, Harry began to slap and pinch himself as hard as he could hoping it would snap him back to reality before a dream could form. _How could I be so stupid_, he thought angrily sinking his teeth into his own forearm. To his relief he slowly began to feel a warmth bath over his body and the glow of the sun on his face. A rush of relief filled his body as he was certain he had made it to morning without spilling her secret, but it only took a moment before her realized he was sorely mistaken.

Under his feet he felt the soft squish of Astroturf replace the hard wooden floors of his bedroom at the Durselys. Spinning he saw a whole stadium erupt around him, complete with a cheering crowd in the bleachers. The excitement could be felt in the air, as the melody of "Pomp and Circumstance" floated on the evening breeze.

_Where am I_, he thought his eyes adjusting to the bright sun.

Once his eyes were focused he saw that before him stood hundreds of teens all dressed identically in graduation robes and mortarboards. They all were screaming and cheering as each one of their classmates' names was called and they walked to the middle of the stage to receive their well-earned diploma. Watching the scene in front of him he couldn't help but be affected by the cheerful environment. Even though he did not recognize any of the names, he joined in the clapping watching them graduate. Inside he hoped that this is what it would be like when he completed his seventh year at Hogwarts the following June.

As he stood against the chain link fence he watched the next row stand and head toward the stage. "Adam Walters," the man at the podium announced.

The first teen in the newest line raced to the stage to wild applauds. Grabbing his diploma he leaped off the stage to laughter, it was apparent he was a class favorite.

"Samantha Wagner!"

A tall blond strutted up the steps and across the stage receiving whistles and cat calls the whole way. With a wink and a wave to the crowd she descended the steps and headed back to her seat.

"Such a delightful scene," the whisper came from behind him.

Harry straightened up immediately recognizing that hiss of a voice. With a quaking hand the young wizard began to reach toward his wand that was normally hidden in his pocket. To his horror he discovered an empty pocket, knowing that he had placed his wand on his desk before he had lay down. The next name was called but Harry didn't hear it, as the voice continued. "So many young people, their lives just beginning, it's a shame you will never know this moment, Harry Potter."

"That's what you think," Harry snarled and whirled around, wand or no wand, he was going to face his enemy.

"Rachel West!"

The voice boomed over the loudspeaker as Harry's emerald eyes met the red snakelike eyes of Lord Voldemort. For a moment the world stood still, and after a brief second Harry realized it wasn't just a figure of speech, it was literally. Every person in the stands was frozen mid cheer or clap. Turning he saw that even the trees had stopped midway in the evening wind, the only two things that remained unaffected where him and the Dark Lord. That is until he heard footsteps from someone walking across the stage.

The dark wizard's face lit up like a Roman candle causing Harry to whirl around. Walking to the middle of the stage was a very familiar figure; she was concentrating so hard on not tripping on her walk that she hadn't noticed the world had stopped. Upon getting to the principal, she finally figured out something was not right.

"Mr. Haugh?" Rachel asked waving a hand in front of his frozen smile.

"Well, well if I'm not mistaken Mr. Potter, and please correct me if I'm wrong. But I believe that is the soul piercer that pledged herself to me," Voldemort said loudly causing the girl to stiffen up. "Who I thought perished at the hand of Bellatrix."

Turning toward the bleachers it was easy to spot the only two moving people amidst the masses. "No," she whispered her body beginning to quake. "NO! How did you find me?!"

A chuckle erupted from You-Know-Who as he glided through the fence. "Young Harry led me straight to you," he said placing a pale hand on Harry's shoulder. "I truly couldn't have done this without him."

Rachel's face fell; feeling betrayed by someone she considered to be a very close friend. "Harry? How could you do this to me? I trusted you!"

The fear in her voice was like daggers to his heart. "I didn't mean to do it," he cried tossing his enemy's hand off his shoulder, and broke into a run toward the girl. "I feel asleep before I could meditate, I'm so sorry!"

Fighting back tears of fear Rachel shoved him away from her, pushing him completely off the stage. "I hate you, Harry Potter!" she shrieked as he hit the ground.

Staring up at her from the track he watched her recoil in horror. Before he could react the words were from Voldemort's mouth.

"Avada Kedvra!"

The green light enveloped her in an instance causing her to drop like a ragdoll to the stage, with a sickening thud.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Harry screamed flying upward and off his bed.

Sweat was pouring down his face and his hands were violently shaking, as he tried to get his bearings straight. He was no longer in the warmth of the sunlit stadium, but was now in his dark room lying on the floor. _What have I done_, he thought tears stinging his eyes.

Wallowing his self-pity was not what needed to be done at this moment and he knew that. So before he could second guess himself he leapt to his feet and hastily scribbled a note on a scrap of paper.

**_He knows . . . be ready to go tonight.  
-H_**

Prodding Hewdig awake, who bit at his fingers a few times before she left her cage, he handed the note to her. After Harry instructed his owl who he was delivering the letter to, he almost threw her out into the dawn air. If he timed it right Rachel would have just enough time to gather her things before he was to arrive. As he watched the sun slowly begin to rise and Hedwig disappear into the horizon, Harry Potter vowed that he would keep Rachel West safe… no matter what it took.


	2. Chapter 2: Across the Pond

**Chapter 2: Across the Pond**

Harry was not the only person currently battling the events that occurred during slumber. Since returning home to the United States, eight months ago, Rachel West had not had a solid night of sleep. Most nights she would sit in her bedroom intensely watching the shadows that the streetlights casted across her walls, half expecting one to come to life and steal her off into the night. Even though before he had left, Professor Dumbledore had assured her that he had taken every precaution possible to keep her safe. She still feared that at some point she would be found by Voldemort. This fear intensified the moment that she found out the old wizard had been killed. In her mind he was the only person that she thought could keep her safe, and now that he was gone she was a sitting duck.

So every night she had begun to fight of the urge of her body aching for sleep, for she thought if she remained awake, she would remain alive. Not only could her parents sense that something was wrong, but even Ripper, Rachel's two year old Jack Russell Terrier, could sense something was troubling his master, and he took it upon himself to start sleeping in her room as if guarding her at night. But no one knew the full extent of Rachel's nighttime fears then her girlfriend, Hermione Granger, and even though she was half a world away she tried everything possible to comfort her.

**_I know you think that because Dumbledore is gone, you're no longer safe. But believe me when I say this, nothing is going to happen to you. You know that Harry, Ron, Ginny, or myself would never let anyone or anything harm you in anyway. You have to start sleeping, Rachel, this isn't healthy. _**

Almost every letter that the muggle received by owl had that last sentence hidden somewhere in it after Rachel had written about her latest nightmare. She knew that Hermione was right, but some irrational part of her brain prevented her from relaxing enough to sleep through the night.

**_I know baby, I know, trust me I when I say I wish nothing more than to sleep again. At least then I would get to pass my nights away with you in my dreams than the fear of Voldemort in my waking hours. Honestly, babe I don't know if I'll ever be able to sleep again, until I know for sure that he's dead._**

Seeing those words written in her terrified girlfriend's handwriting caused Hermione to ache, guilty that she wasn't there to hold her at night. Even though it had only been a few weeks since she had last see Rachel, she sensed that she was getting worse. The witch had spent a month in Pennsylvania with her, and during that time she saw an almost completely different person.

Normally Rachel was full of jokes and laughter. On the surface she played that role when she was around her American friends, Hermione had the pleasure of meeting. But at night when it was just the two of them in her bedroom, she transformed into a paranoid, terror filled person. Hermione had tried her best to stay awake with her, while on her visit, but always lost the battle around two or three.

Watching her slumbering girlfriend next to her did help ease her fears, but at the same time it had the opposite effect. If Voldemort was to show up now, not only would the soul piercer be taken, but surely Hermione would be in peril as well. So while her girlfriend slept, Rachel would sit vigilant at her desk, Ripper at her feet and baseball bat at her side. By the soft glow of her desk lamp she would write to the one person who she knew would know exactly what she was going through…Harry. The two had grown close before she departed the magical world, after all she was in love with his best friend, but the pair had seemingly grown even closer through their letters.

**_I don't know how you do it Harry_**, she wrote one night watching Hermione dream behind her_. _**How do manage to keep going when you know he is constantly hunting you?**

**_I have something worth living for; it helps to keep me going. Never forget you have so much around you Rachel; your family, friends there, us, and especially Hermione. I think you would be surprise if you keep remembering that, how much it will prevent you from giving up._**

Rachel drew strength from her friends' words even the occasional letter from Ron helped her feel secure; he had done a complete turnaround since he had witnessed her sacrifice herself for Hermione.

**_Harry and Hermione told me about you having trouble sleeping. Don't worry Rach you have four people that would put their lives on the line to keep you safe. Just keep your head up and before you know it we will all be together here and maybe then you can finally get some sleep surrounded by wizards and witches. And a word of advice no mention of this to Mum, or else she will be forcing potions down your throat._**

On this particular day Rachel sat on her bed, Ripper on the floor, staring at the slowly rising sun. In her almost trancelike state she heard her parents begin their daily routine of getting ready for work. Sighing contently she looked over at her small, loyal companion. She knew that Ripper was exhausted from staying up all night with her, but still he sat there, head bobbing into sleep, watching her on the bed.

"Just go to sleep buddy," Rachel soothed and gently scratched behind his brown ears. "I'll take this watch."

The rhythmic scratching of Rachel's nails against his skin instantly caused the dog to drift off, slumping against the bed. _Poor little guy_, she thought hearing his deep breaths of dreams,_ I can't wait to get out of here, it's not fair that both of us are missing out on sleep_. Leaning her head back against the headboard, she continued to listen to her dog's breathing, and the footsteps of her hurried parents outside her door.

"Do you think she's asleep?" her mother's voice floated into her room.

"Doubt it," her father replied in the midst of shaving. "I heard her walking around an hour ago."

"I'm worried about her Steve, maybe we should try to get her to see someone today before she leaves. I don't want her going away with her like this," Rachel could hear the tears in her mother's voice.

"You remember what Dumbeldore said," her father's voice dropped to a whisper, "whatever she went through while she was missing would sound crazy to any other person who didn't know about magic. If we send her to talk to just anyone, she would be locked away for sure. I think once she is with Hermione and the others, over there, she will be better. She's just gone through something we will never understand."

Rachel's throat tightened listening to her parents worry about her current mental state. Closing her eyes she continued to listen to their whispers fade into fuzziness. One more day, that's all she had left until she was leaving for Europe to spend her last month of summer before starting college. Hopefully once she was away everyone would stop worrying about her constantly, and they could just get back to focusing on their own lives.

_Why do you assume that once you are gone people will stop worrying about you? _The familiar voice filled the room, caused the teen to groan loudly.

"Don't you have someone else to haunt?" Rachel snapped; she wasn't really in the mood for a lecture.

Opening eyes she saw the accustomed form of Albus Dumbeldore sitting at the foot of her bed. The old wizard simply smiled at the teen, a visible look of annoyance on her face. This wasn't the first time that she had been visited by the man who had saved her the night of her original attack from Voldemort. Since he had died she had seen him several times over the summer.

_I'm sorry, but you are my favorite,_ the man badly joked.

"Yeah, well could you maybe come back later? I sort of have plans," Rachel said standing up and opening the door.

_ And what would those be?_

"I was planning on sitting here making sure that I am not taken back to hell by Voldemort. I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure that the fact that I am a soul piercer and I also, ya know, _pledged_ myself to him, might make him want me back?" she sneered watching the smile remain constant on his face. "Or have you not been paying attention to the last several months of my life?"

_Rachel, I know that you are frightened, but haven't you been listening to what your friends have been writing? They will never let anything happen to you._

"Yeah, so they say. They can't be with me at all times to protect me, besides last time they tried to protect me, I could have lost Hermione. I would rather go at it alone then risk any of their lives, again." She sighed and slumped back onto the bed, placing her face in her hands. "This is never going to end is it?"

Standing Dumbledore placed a hand on her back_. I believe the end is at hand, you just have to trust and everything happens for a reason. Do not question and just follow what you are told to do. Once these trials are over, you will find your life richer for having experienced them._

Looking up at the old wizard, Rachel tried her best to read his still smiling face. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked her heart beating steadily at his cryptic yet somewhat hopeful warning.

_In time it will make sense_, he paused and looked over at the open window, _but right now I think you someone wishes to speak to you._

Ripper's frantic barks broke through as Dumbedore began to fade into nothing, smile still affixed on his face. Pulled from her vision, Rachel flew into a sitting position on her bed. How long had she been under? Her eyes flashed to the pup, who was barking, now looking toward the open window. Fear instantly gripped her heart as she forced herself to look up at what had caught Ripper's attention. Relief instantly flooded over her as she spotted Hedwig standing on the windowpane. Jumping to her feet, Rachel walked over to retrieve the letter that was visible in her beak. This wasn't the normal well written lengthy note that she was used to getting. This one was a crumpled corner of paper with seven words scribbled on it.

**_He Knows. . . Be ready to leave tonight_**

**_-H_**

Rachel's fear magnified with that short note, and looking down she scooped up her pup. Hugging him tightly she felt tears burn her eyes. Harry and Rachel had a plan already laid out in case something like this ever happened; they just hoped they never had to use it. Unfortunately it appeared fate had a different idea in mind, and Rachel knew what was going to happen next.

"Ripper," she began her voice quaking, "it's been nice knowing you, buddy boy."


	3. Chapter 3: This is the Last Night

**Chapter 3: This is the Last Night**

_Okay if England is six hours ahead of us, then that means it almost five in the morning there, then he should have left by now_, Rachel thought nervously staring out into the starless night sky, _which means that he should be here at any moment._

When the muggle had watched the sun rise that morning, she thought it was going to turn out to be a seemingly normal day. But in reality this day had turned into her longest and possibly last day she would ever experience. The hours had ticked by slowly, causing the girl to become a complete shut in her room, not wanting miss if she got any news from Harry. All the minor things were packed due to her departure to the England the following day. Once she was getting ready to be settled into school her parents were going to bring any remaining boxes with them. So she had spent her day scrounging through everything in order to have enough supplies to last while she was to be on the run, just enough stuff to fit in one easy to carry backpack.

With day crawling into night, Rachel now sat on her bed lightly twirling the glowing pendent around her neck. She knew that Hermione was almost surely still sleeping and it appeared she was thinking of her girlfriend even in her dreams.

_I just hope when this is all over, this will still be glowing_, she thought glumly listening to her parents' voices in the living room below.

Leaning over Rachel grabbed the enchanted picture of Hermione and herself that was taken at the Burrow before she had returned home, which caused a stab of pain. She knew that what she and Harry were about to do would hurt her and Ron the worse. After all, the two of them had stuck beside the Chosen One through everything over the past seven years. It was pretty apparent that they were very fond of their famous best friend. Even the bond that already began to form between the trio and muggle ran deep with loyalty and love. So of course Harry and Rachel's number one concern was not for themselves but for the well-being of the ones they cared about most.

**_Well what the hell do you suggest we do, Harry? I feel like something big is going to happen, I can't explain it, but I just have this gut feeling that he is coming for me_**, Rachel wrote one night after a particularly violent dream involving several people she loved being murdered as she watched, laughing with gleaming black eyes.

**_We wouldn't be able to tell them what we are doing or where we would be going,_** Harry had responded in a previous letter that had arrived just a few weeks before, **_we will just have to simply disappear until it is safe again, for all of us. _**

His plan sent a chill down her spine at the thought of just leaving everyone behind, without even a word about what and why they were doing it.

**_That's going to kill them, my parents . . . Hermione . . . Ron . . . Ginny! I mean I've already left Hermione once before, and you saw what that did to her. I don't think she would ever forgive me if I did that to her again, let alone my poor parents, what do I tell them?_**

**_If you want to keep her, keep them all, safe like I want to, then you know that is what we would have to do. As for your parents, I know something that would keep them safe and as for Hermione eventually she would understand why we did it, trust me._**

"Oh I hope you are right, Mr. Potter," she whispered a slight smile on her lips as she lightly traced the frozen image of her love.

**_ I really hope we don't have to use this plan. . ._**

**_Me too… Rach… me too._**

Trying to clear her head and focus on the plan the two had forged; Rachel leaned back and closed her eyes. Lying there she listened to the familiar creaks and groans of the house that used to lull her off to sleep. Inhaling deeply she breathed in the constant scent of her room, a mix of lily candles and dog, a unique but comforting aroma. She was truly going to miss this home and she knew that in her near future she would be lying awake just aching to be in this place once again.

Opening her eyes Rachel heard the television set turn off downstairs, filling the house with only the sound of their footsteps locking the house up for the night. Listening to their footsteps echo in the hallway caused a knot to form around her heart; she knew this was possibly the last night she would ever see them. Her mind was a race of things she wanted to tell her parents in case the worst case scenario she had played out since she got home actually occurred.

She wanted to tell them how much she loved them and how much she appreciated everything they had done for her, but every time she reached for the doorknob to go talk to them she would burst into tears.

A quiet knock at her door pulled her back into reality, as her mother popped her head into the room. Wiping her eyes quickly Rachel turned, lightly bounced off the bed, and placed the photo into her bag; knowing that it would help get her some rough nights ahead. The air in the room was thick with an overwhelming feeling of gloom that her mother felt that the moment that she walked inside. Rachel was standing with her back to door, and her mother knew it was deliberate.

"Finishing up on packing?" her mother asked coming into the room and sitting on her bed.

"Yeah," Rachel choked feverishly wiping her face hoping to erase any signs that she had been crying. "Figured if am leaving tomorrow I better finish now instead of getting up earlier than I have to."

If there is one thing her mother knew, it was when Rachel was upset and hiding something. It had been an almost constant feeling in the house since she had returned back in January. "Is everything okay, Binx?" Her mother's pet name for her made Rachel's heart ache even more.

"Fine," she lied, swallowing back the tears that wanted to spring forward, "just tired."  
Her mother inhaled slowly, a sure sign Rachel knew a lecture was coming. "You haven't been sleeping much have you?"

"Nah," she said and whirled around to reveal her best fake smile. "Guess I'm just nervous about school and everything. Plus I can't wait to see Hermione tomorrow, it's been so long and I miss her."

"Rachel," her mother stated narrowing her eyes in the way that caused a child to squirm, seeing right through the Cheshire cat grin. "Do you think I haven't been watching you since you came home? I know you better than anyone; I know this isn't about you being nervous, or Hermione. I think something deeper is bothering you. You never really told us where you were for those three months, and up till now I tried to put that thought out of my head. But after watching you walk around her like a zombie for months, and knowing you are headed back over to England tomorrow, I can't ignore it anymore." Her mother paused and looked around before asking her next question, "What happened to you over there?"

Stiffening up Rachel turned and began busying herself by pretending to pack another bag. _Shit, shit, shit_, she thought wracking her brain for something to tell her mother, since she knew it couldn't be the truth. She had been waiting for this question to rear its ugly head since she had got home, but why of all nights did it have to come up tonight. This wasn't exactly the last conversation Rachel wanted to have with her mother.

"Let's just say I got caught up with the wrong crowd," she put simply nervously glancing out of the window, the last thing she wanted to happen was to have Harry appear outside her window with her mother still sitting here. "Hermione and her friends saved me from getting pulled into too deep with them. Then one of them tried to hurt Hermione and I got a little messed up trying to protect her. That's all, I'm fine I swear."

"That scar on your stomach doesn't seem like just a little messed up to me," her mother said lightly poking her daughter in the gut. "That looks like something pretty serious to me."

Taking a few steps back Rachel placed her hand on her stomach, covering the fresh scar from the stab wound she has taken for Hermione, which lay under her t-shirt. "That's nothing, just a scratch, I fell when I was wrestling with the person that was going to hurt her."

With another heavy sigh, her mother shook her head sadly looking up at her only child. "I've never know you to ever go after someone before, even when it involved someone you love," she said. "I'm not buying this, why do I feel like you are not telling me everything?" her mother asked a look of visible concern on her face.

_Cause I'm not_, Rachel thought sadly sitting down on her bed.

Smiled plastered on her face, she leaned over and kissed her mother's cheek. "Cause you worry too much, Mom, always have. But honestly I am really tired; I think I'm going to just go to bed. Big day tomorrow, ya know?"

Squinting up her eyes she looked into the obviously tired face of her eighteen year old, she knew she was fighting a losing battle tonight. "Okay, we'll talk more about this tomorrow on the way to the airport," her mother sighed and rose to leave. "I'll let you get some sleep then. Night kid, love you."

The moment her mother opened her arms to embrace her daughter, Rachel practically ran into them. Her grip was so tight on her mom that the pair nearly toppled into the wall.

"Love you, too, Mom," her voice quavered as she tightly embraced her mother, "always will."

It took every ounce of strength to release her hold on her mother and allow her to walk out of the room. The moment that the door clicked closed; Rachel turned and buried her face in her hands, tears flowing freely. _I can't believe this is really happening to me_, she thought doubling over with sadness.

As she wept the house grew silent. Her parents drifted off to sleep, unaware of the boy wizard that was making his way across the pond to their small town to whisk their daughter off into the night, and away from the darkest force in the history of the world that wished to destroy her.


	4. Chapter 4: Savior in the Sky

**Chapter 4: Savior in the Sky**

Walking through the darkened house Ripper began his nightly patrol, stopping at ever door and window he sniffed making sure everything was secure. Once his routine was over and he was positive that his family was safe until morning he stretched out at the bottom of the stairs. A yawn squeaked from the tiny animal as he closed his eyes to try to get some sleep. He hadn't seen Rachel since she had let him out in the morning, but he had heard her pacing around throughout the day. If he could make a wish… he wished he could make whatever was upsetting his beloved master disappear forever.

His eyes had barely closed when his ears instinctively perked up at the sound of a loud creak. Lifting his head he scanned his surroundings, waiting to be joined by one of his humans so they could search the house together. The longer he laid there listening, the more it was apparent that no one was coming to find out what the noise had been. Taking it upon himself, Ripper stood and trotted up the stairs to where he thought the racket had originated. Reaching the landing of the stairs he heard it again, this time from other end of the hallway.

A low growl rumbled in his little barreled chest as he stalked toward his master's parents' room. Once outside his nose twitched at the crack on the bottom of the door, everything smelled in order in there. Sitting down he began to wrack his little brain at what was going on; he knew he was hearing something, but why couldn't he find it?

**CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK**

This time he acted right away and Ripper's bark filled the silent house as he raced toward Rachel's still closed door. He knew for certain the noise had come from her room; so of course the little terrier's instincts kicked in turning him into a vicious, as he could be, guard dog. High pitched barks had just begun to stir his owners in their bedroom when Rachel's door flew open, and hands grasped the pup. "Ripper, shut up!" Rachel hissed as she quickly shut the door behind her.

Looking around the room nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary, but still Ripper knew he had to keep his guard up. He had heard something that he was sure of, and there was no doubt this time it was coming from this area of the house. Squirming lose from Rachel's arms he jumped up on the bed, whining toward the ceiling.

"What is your problem?" Rachel asked pulling her sweatshirt tighter around her.

Pathetic whines continued as he looked at her with his big saucer sized brown eyes. Sighing heavily, she flopped down on her bed, burying her face in her hands again. "You hear it too, don't you?" she asked as the dog crawled over to her lap. "I was hoping I was just being paranoid."

True, the Wests lived in an older house that did shift and creak, but she knew all of those noises. This one was different and it appeared to be moving around the outside of the house.

_He's coming_, Rachel silently tried to reassure herself, _Harry will be here soon_.

The thought had never even accrued to the teen what she would do if Harry didn't make it in time. How would she protect her parents if death eaters appeared before he made it? Standing Rachel retrieved her baseball bat that she had placed in her closet. She had used it to guard her and Hermione as she slept, and now she would use it to defend her parents. Sitting back on the edge of the bed Rachel scanned the room for any out of the ordinary shadows. "Come on," she said through gritted teeth, "I dare you."

Staring at the non-moving shadows, Rachel slipped into a daydream of sorts. In her mind she saw a hooded figure emerge from the very wall itself, its metal mask glass gleaming from the streetlight outside. Without a word she rose from the bed and swung the bat with all the force she could, connecting with the side of the death eater's head. Unfazed by the blow he grasped Rachel by the throat and pinned her roughly to the wall. Struggling to break free as well as breathe, she squirmed and clawed at the hand. Flying from the bed Ripper tried to sink his teeth into the intruder's leg. Before he could reach the death eater, a hard kick sent the dog flying across the room, crashing into the closet door. Upon impact there was the distinct sound of his neck snapping. Tears streamed down Rachel's cheeks as she watched her tiny guardian's murder. "You have been requested to join the Dark Lord for a meeting," his voice seemed to boom throughout the room, as everything began to swirl into black smoke.

A loud bang from across the room snapped Rachel from her daydream and leap off the bed. Her brain began to twitch as her room ounce again fell into silence, she didn't know how much more she could take tonight. Walking toward the outside wall, she placed her ear against it. If there really was something making these noises then it would have to be right outside. Her breathing and heart rate tripled as she neared the window, every nerve in her body screaming at her not to approach the thin pane of glass. Finally, she got up the courage and peered outside.

Her backyard was the same as it always had been since her family had moved into the house when she was six. The only difference was a large tree branch that now lay on the ground outside her window. Laughing at herself for her paranoia she took a step back, and looked at Ripper. "It's just a branch that fell," she said her fear turning into hysterical laugher.

**KNOCK KNOCK**

Screaming mid chuckle Rachel reeled around swinging the bat toward the noise, but instead connecting with a person she connected with the lamp. The light source crashed to the floor flooding the room into total blackness except for the streetlamps. Ripper began to bark at the top of his lungs as she shut her eyes waiting to be snatched away.

"Well, this isn't exactly the welcome I had imagined."

A relief washed over her body as Rachel slowly opened her eyes and connected with a pair of emerald eyes staring into her room through the window. It was hard to contain the smile that was trying to break through as she looked into the familiar face. But before she could let him into her room, a dark thought crept into her mind as she remembered what Harry had written her in a previous letter.

**_If I have to come get you, you MUST make sure that it really is me. There are various potions and spells that could be used to change a person's me something only you and I know._**

Taking a step back and pointing a bat toward the floating Harry, she thought of a question. "What did we do on my last night in the Burrow?" she called through the glass.

Obviously proud that Rachel remembered to test him, Harry smiled brightly, but he also smiled at the memory. "After a large feast in which Mrs. Weasley cooked all of our favorite foods, we played wizard chess while Hermione, Ron, and Ginny watched, and you beat me… for the first time ever."

Lowering the bat, Rachel finally let her smile take ahold as she relived the memory. It had been a cold night right after the first of the year, and everyone under the age of seventeen was getting ready to depart, the adolescents were headed back to Hogwarts the next day as well. Everyone was normally looking forward to going back to school, but this time they knew once they left the Burrow they all wouldn't be together again for almost a year.

"I am really going to miss your mom's cooking," Rachel said limping into the living room after they all had had their fill of various foods, each one of the teens had gotten to choose an entrée in the feast. "The summer needs to get here now!"

"You haven't even left yet, and you're already complaining about being gone," Hermione teased as she curled up on the couch with her. "Not that I'm looking forward to the months apart myself."

Kissing the back of her hand Rachel smiled sweetly at her girlfriend. The two have been trying to spend as much time as possible together knowing their impending separation grew closer every day. "I hear ya, baby."

"So, last night in the Burrow," Ron said bluntly as he flopped down in the arm chair. "What do we want to do?"

Rachel turned and winked at Hermione who returned a smile, she knew that this was the moment her girlfriend had been looking forward to. "I'd like to challenge, you," she cried and pointed a finger at Harry, "Mr. Harry Potter to a game of wizard's chess!"

Laughter and teasing broke out in the room as Rachel called Harry out. "Do you accept the challenge, good sir?" she asked poorly imitating a British accent.

The board was set up and ready before Harry could even respond, everyone was in on the challenge and wanted to see the almost unbeatable player fall to the amateur. Still laughing and shaking his head, Harry took his place behind the black pieces. Leaving the crutch by the couch Rachel walked over to the board with the assistance of Hermione, and took her seat on the ground. Her leg was the only injury that hadn't completely healed yet.

The other's gathered around to watch the epic battle of muggle versus the famous wizard, Ginny and Hermione on opposite sides of the board, and Ron in the arm chair just above Harry's shoulder. Giving the red headed boy a quick wink she began the game with her opening move. Every move that Harry made, she performed the perfect counter strike by saying every command that Ron mouthed. Poor Harry had no clue that he was being cheated out of a win by his best friends.

"Checkmate!" Rachel cried as she watched the little king crumble to a million pieces.

Cheers rang out as Harry simply stared at the board, most of his chess pieces in small piles. "H-how?" he stammered unable to believe he had lost.

"Oh I have a few tricks up my sleeve," Rachel laughed, high fiving Ron who was smiling and laughing loudest of all.

Smiling at a happier time, she leaned across her desk and unlocked the window to open it to let Harry in. The sound of crickets flooded the room in an instant, as he pulled himself inside. Once inside he reached back outside to grasp his hovering broom to pull it in as well.

Turning back around Rachel smiled looking up at the familiar square jaw and green eyes under round frames glasses. Harry looked exactly the same as he had eight months ago, maybe an inch taller; the only clear difference was the dark circles that clung to the skin under his eyes. It was apparent to her that he also had not been getting the correct amount of rest as well.

"Hi," she whispered as tightly hugged Harry around his torso.

Grinning at the top of her head he retuned her friendly gesture, it was good to see her after all this time. "Thank God you are here; I was starting to think something happened to you," she said taking a step back from him.

"Sorry, I know I'm late," he explained as he released his friend, "I had to be sure I wasn't being followed."

"Hey, whatever, just as long as you came for me, I've been getting a little freaked out here by myself," she chuckled motioning toward the shattered lamp on the ground.

"Obviously," he laughed, as well.

A tiny growl sounded from across the room as Ripper stood on the bed, the hair raised on his back. "Oh stop it," she scolded as she scooped him up in her arms, "this is my friend Harry, be nice to him."

Ripper stared at this person he did not recognize standing in his master's room. The human appeared to be harmless but still he continued to growl. She knew she couldn't get mad at him for acting like this after all she had been on edge for months now.

The room was thick with sadness and both of the teens could feel it very strongly. Both of them knew that once they left it would be a long time before they had any contact with the people they loved the most. Both of them stood in silence for a moment, each one of them not wanting to give the command to start the leaving process. Finally Harry cleared his throat which caused Rachel to look up from the dog. "Um we probably should get going," he said wincing at his own words.

"Yeah," Rachel's voice quavered as she tightly hugged her little loyal friend. "I'll show you to my parents' room."

Setting the still growling Ripper down on the bed they entered the hallway, and gently closed the door behind them. Tiptoeing down the creaky hallway, Harry followed Rachel to a doorway on the other side of the house. Raising a finger to her lips, she motioned for him to silently shadow her. Every noise seemed to be amplified as she clicked the door open and entered the room. Quietly, the pair stood at the end of the bed in the almost still room, Rachel's father's snores prevented the room for being completely silent. In that moment of watching her parents dream, everything that she had wanted to say to her parents all day began to pour out of her.

"I am so sorry," she said softly, as tears began to form in her blue eyes, "I keep telling myself that this is the right thing to do, to keep you safe. But at the same time I hate myself for doing this to you. You both have done so much for me over the years, and you made me who I am today, for that I am eternally grateful. Please know that no matter what I will never stop thinking about you, even if you won't remember me."

A sob was building in her chest, a loud sob, and Rachel knew that she had to keep it under control. Watching his friend say goodbye to her parents was gut wrenching for Harry, and at the same time made him slightly jealous. After all he never got the option of saying goodbye to his parents, when they were ripped from his life on a Halloween night long ago. He had no idea what Rachel was going through, but he would like to think that if he were in the same situation that he would be selfless enough to make sure his parents were safe before he took safety himself.

Leaning over Harry wrapped his arm around her slightly shaking shoulders, and gently kissed the top of her head. At this moment he felt like a big brother, comforting his little sister, even though she was the older of the two. "It will be okay," he comforted holding her tightly.

"You promise this won't hurt them," she whispered sharply as she stared at the sleeping forms of the people that brought her into this world, her eyes glassy with tears.

"Promise," Harry said still holding her.

Inhaling deeply, she stepped away from Harry and wiped her eyes, "do it now."

With a nod, Harry pulled his wand from the pocket of his sweatshirt and pointed it toward the adults. "Obliviate," he stated and almost instantly a misty white light floated from the end of the wand and surrounded the bed. Rachel's dad stopped mid snore as the spell took its effect and immediately erased any and every memory of their daughter.

A sick feeling stirred in the pit of her stomach as the realization that her parents would no longer know her set in. Every birthday, Christmas, or family vacations that the three had ever experienced together all now only exist in one's memory. Even though the mind wipe had just occurred, Rachel already looked forward to the day that all three family member's minds contained the same history of memories again.

"They should be dazed and out of it for a while, so we don't have to be as quiet," he explained as he placed his wand back into his pocket. "So let's get your stuff and we can go, I want to be hidden by morning."

Looking over his shoulder Harry watched as Rachel walked over and gently kissed first her father and then her mother's forehead. "I love you," she said placing her forehead against her mother's temple. "I'll see you again someday, I promise."

Casting one last look at the people who raised her, Rachel stepped out of the room and into the hallway. Shutting the door, the muggle exhaled deeply, it had barely begun but this was already turning into a long night.

"All right, Rachel?" Harry asked as they walked back toward Rachel's room, to grab their supplies and head off into the night.

"Yeah, I will be," she sighed as she opened the door, "It's just hard ya know?"

"Just keep telling yourself that we are keeping them out of harm's way," Harry said as they walked into the dark bedroom.

Upon entering the room, the pair was bombarded with Ripper's frantic barking and growling. "Ripper come on, I already told you to leave Harry alone!" Rachel cried grabbing the dog roughly, hoping to silence him. Even in her arm's his barking continued as he tried to direct her attention toward the other side of the room.

_What has gotten into him_, she thought squinting into the shadows.

"Um, Rachel," Harry whispered as he stiffened up as an uneasy feeling settled over the room, "I don't want to alarm you, but I believe that shadow just moved."


	5. Chapter 5: In the Shadows

**Chapter 5: In the Shadows**

"Which one did you see move?" she asked gripping the sleeve of Harry's sweatshirt, as a chill ran across the back of her neck.

"I don't know," he admitted intently staring into the blackness, "I just saw it flicker out of the corner of my eye. I really think we should get out of here, as soon as possible."

Tightening her grip on Ripper, Rachel began to slink toward the closed bedroom door, while Harry instinctively walked in front of her. "What are you doing?" he whispered, over his shoulder taking his eyes off the spot for a second before jumping and whipping around to face the dark corner once more. "We don't have our stuff," he said slowly.

Rachel glanced over, it was true both their backpacks and Harry's Firebolt were by the window were they had left them. They knew that if they forgot those items they wouldn't last more than a few days in hiding. Rachel could have slapped herself for being so foolish as to forget something that important.

" Let me get Ripper out of here," she whispered as she reached the door, then with a quick kiss on the head, Rachel tossed him out the door and slammed it shut before he could get back in, "just in case." Harry nodded but did not relax his frame, his jaw tightly set.

Ripper's barks and violent scratching on the door began almost instantly; he was trying his best to get back in there to protect her. They both jumped at the noise and missed a low laugh that flew from the shadows.

Whirling back around she turned her eyes also to where Harry said he had seen the movement. If there was one person who knew what shadows were supposed to be there, it was her. Peering out from behind Harry, she began to run through her nightly checklist of the shadows.

_Okay_, she thought making a mental note of all the darkness, _that's my desk, that's the chair, bed, nightstand, TV._

"I don't see anything," she said stepping out from behind the boy, remembering her paranoia from earlier "Your eyes might have just been playing tricks on you; you have to be tired after flying all the way here." she whispered to him, although she sounded uncertain.

Harry didn't reply, knowing she might possibly be right, with the impending threat it was no wonder that they both might be on edge.

"Yeah," he stated relaxing a bit, though part of him still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that plagued him, "maybe you're right."

As if on cue a loud long yawn creaked from the wizard as he stretched, which caused Rachel to giggle and relax slightly. "Let me just grab our stuff and we can head out, where are we going anyway?" she asked crossing the room.

"Haven't decided yet," Harry answered sleepily, leaning against the wall. "I have a few options in mind of where we going to head towards."

Stooping down Rachel grabbed her backpack, and in one movement heaved it over her shoulder. "Well I just hope I packed enough stuff to last," she said arranging the heavy bag as comfortably as she could on her back, and then reached down to hand Harry his bag. Expecting the bag to be just as hefty as her own, Rachel nearly toppled backwards when the bag came up almost feather lite. "Harry, did you even pack anything?" she laughed steadying herself and looking up at her friend, which caused her laughter to end and her instincts to jump to red alert.

No longer leaning sleepily against the wall, Harry now stood at full attention wand drawn, pointed directly at Rachel. The calm domineer in his emerald eyes had also vanished and had been replaced by terror. Releasing Harry's bag, she slowly began to stand up, in anticipation of having to move.

"Don't move," he whispered sharply every nerve in his body now rigid.

Being slightly hunched over and weighted down by her pack made Rachel feel very vulnerable. If she was to have to move quickly there was no possible way that she could do that at the moment. Harry's face taunt with concentration, his eyes locked onto something over the muggle's shoulder. "Harry," she whimpered the fear building inside her.

"Stay as still as possible," he barely breathed, taking an advancing step toward her.

Nodding, Rachel tried her best to remain frozen in her current position. Without warning an overwhelming presence could be felt behind her. It was then that she knew that her paranoia had been justified as she heard the low growl like laugh from behind.

"Show yourself," Harry demanded, it was apparent to Rachel he still couldn't make out the face of the mysterious person in the room.

The laughter rang out again, this time from two locations; the second one came from the darkened corner by Rachel's bed. "Harry there's two. . ."

"I know," he cut her off, his eyes darting back and forth between the two shadow people; "somehow we've been surrounded."

Swallowing hard, in an attempt to push all her fear into her stomach, Rachel squinted toward the shadow she could see without moving.

"I said show yourselves!" Harry cried a mix of anger and fear very apparent in his voice.

"Listen to Potter," the deep gruff voice from behind Rachel sounded, "thinking he can

order us around."

"He always did have arrogance about him… just like his father," the other voice responded.

Even in the faint streetlight glow that made its way into the bedroom, Rachel saw a fire ignite in her friend's eyes. The muggle had never heard the first voice before, but the second voice she vaguely recognized. If she remembered correctly she had only heard it briefly from the back of the classroom that she had snuck into on her visit at Hogwarts, but she could tell from the look of utter hatred on Harry's face the owner of the second voice belonged to one person. Professor Severus Snape.

The anger that flowed through Harry seemed to engulf Rachel as well; after all he was the man responsible for the death of her savior all those months ago.

"Snape," Harry sneered, his wand bouncing back and forth between the two concealed men. "Nice to see you are finally loyal to one side."

Stepping out of the darkness and into the beam of light, Snape stared at Harry his own wand raised. "I'm simply doing what I know is best for everyone," he jeered, "Now if you two would kindly not put up a fight we could begin our journey. The Dark Lord has been ever so eager to see you both again."

Rachel's trembling hands, fumbled the ground looking for a solid base to support her, she didn't know how much longer she could remain a hunchback. As the weight of her bag pushed her to the ground, her hand fell upon what she thought was the handle of Harry's broom. It wasn't until her fingers tightened around the cylindrical object she realized she was incorrect.

Inhaling deeply, Rachel looked up at Harry, and the pair made eye contact. As they stared into one another's eyes, their message was silently exchanged. If they were going to be taken, they wouldn't be going quietly. Dropping to her knee, Rachel placed both hands tightly around the object.

"Stand up, now is not the time to pray to your God, He can't save you," the man from behind growled.

"Give me a sec," Rachel snapped and nodded toward Harry, whose dancing wand finally came to rest on Snape.

"Stupifey!" he cried at the exact moment Rachel whirled around swinging her bat harder than she ever had before.

The metal made a sickening whack as it connected with the chest of the death eater, but the blow didn't even faze him. "Shit," Rachel whispered staring up at the large hairy form of Fenrir Greyback, the only werewolf permitted to wear death eater robes.

"How I love the sweet taste of children, especially young women," he growled, visible saliva clinging to his disgustingly crooked yellow fang like teeth.

"Harry!" Rachel screamed as Greyback grasped the end on the bat with his massive paw of a hand, and wretched it from her hands, nearly toppling her over.

Luckily, for them Harry's spell had hit its mark sending his former teacher crashing into the nightstand. Whirling about he turned his attention to the werewolf who was advancing on his retreating friend.

"Hate to break it to you but dinner is going to have to wait tonight," he cried brandishing his wand at Greyback.

Even with his large stature, the werewolf flew backwards like a ragdoll at the intensity of Harry's spell. As Harry raced to Rachel's side, Snape was struggling to his feet, his head still spinning from the impact. Scooping up his bag and broom Harry grabbed Rachel's hand and both of them turned toward the bedroom door. It was their only escape and they knew this was their only moment to get out unharmed.

Without a word the two bolted trying to cover the short distance as quickly as possible. Just as Harry's finger brushed the doorknob, he felt himself and Rachel fly backwards away from freedom. With a simple leap over her bed Snape now stood before them, sweat beading down his pale forehead. Lip curling into a grin as he stared at his pupil and the terrified girl, who, herself, was staring wide eyed over her shoulder at Greyback, who was getting to his feet. "Harry," she pleaded and frantically tugged on his sweatshirt. "He's getting up."

Once again the young wizard had to divide his attention between his two attackers. He knew that at any moment they would be upon them if they didn't get out of there and with Snape blocking the only exit Harry decided to get a little creative. "Do you trust me?" he asked as Rachel backed up tightly against him.

Looking up as Harry with terror filled blue eyes; Rachel nodded, "with my life."

Dropping his bag to the ground, Harry grasped his broom and in one fluid movement looped the handle of his bag around his broomstick. Then grabbing both of Rachel's trembling hands he tightly locked them around his neck. "Whatever you do, don't let go," he instructed to the girl, and then turned toward the window. "Expulso!" he cried at the top of his lungs.

Knowing what was about to happen the two death eaters dove for cover as the magic hit its mark. The explosion that followed could be felt down the street, and in the morning there would be reports of a freak earthquake in Pennsylvania, as the spell ripped through the air. Within a matter of moments Rachel's window and wall to the outside of the house had disintegrated, splinters and shards of glass raining down upon the lawn below.

"Hang on!" Harry screamed trying to hear himself over the ringing in his ears, causing Rachel's grip to become vice like, "and when I tell you to jump…jump!"

Being connected made the run to the crumbling hole in the house difficult, but Rachel managed to keep up with him. As they reached the threshold of floor and open air, Harry didn't even pause. "JUMP!"

Closing her eyes tightly, Rachel followed her friend into the unknown and just hoped that somehow they would land safely on the ground. After a few moments of not hitting the ground, she eased her eyes open, half expecting to discover she had separated from her body and she was now a spirit looking down at her mangled corpse. To her great surprise when she looked down she saw the town she grew up in was whizzing past her at an alarming rate of speed.

_We're not dead_, she thought, a nervous laugh catching in her throat, still feeling Harry's warm body under her cold hands.

"You okay back there?" Harry called over the howling wind.

It only took a split second for her to realize that they were both flying, not falling, through the air, and that is when she felt the solid wood of the broom handle underneath her. The nervous laugh escaped her lips; they had made it out of the house, and they were still in one piece.

"I think so," Rachel answered her eyes watering from the rush of the cold wind, "Harry, you just blew up part of my house!"

Rachel felt Harry's body shake with laughter under her grip. "Oi, if you could think of another way to get us out of there, you should have shared," he laughed feeling carefree for the first time in a long time.

"Hey, I'm not complaining, you just saved my ass," she laughed and leaned her head back staring up at the stars in the velvety blackness, they were so close she swore if she just reached out she could grab one.

_This is amazing_, she thought closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, _how can Hermione not like flying?_

The thought of her love caused a stab of pain in her gut, as exhilarating as flying was it couldn't mask all the guilt she was still feeling over leaving everyone she ever cared about behind. Sighing, Rachel opened her eyes expecting to gaze into the heavens, but in an instant the heavens had turn to hell as she saw four clouds of black smoke right behind them.  
"Harry, they found us!"

Glancing over his shoulder, Harry caught sight of the figures in the midst of the smoke. Greyback and Snape had been joined by two other death eaters in their pursuit of the wizard and soul piercer, Yaxely and Bellatrix Lestrange. Cursing to himself, Harry leaned forward in hopes of giving them more speed and to put some distance between them and the death eaters. Streaking across the sky like a shooting star, Harry tried his best to out fly them, but with the extra weight of Rachel and her pack, he was finding it difficult.

"I can't out run them," he said looking fearfully back.

Looking below them, Rachel saw the lights of a city come into view on the horizon. A crazy idea took ahold of her as she saw the familiar city appear like a sign from above. "Harry, go lower," she commanded pulling on his shirt, "we can lose them in the city."

"Are you sure?" he asked dodging a streak of red light from a death eater.

"It's your turn to trust me," she answered as a beam of yellow light barely missed her head.

Nodding solemnly, Harry maneuvered the broom into a sharp nose dive toward the ground, followed by his enemies. Screaming commands in Harry's ear, Rachel instructed him through the maze like street ways of Pittsburgh, the largest city in a twenty mile radius of her small town. Growing up the teen had spent many hours exploring the city with her friends and family; never in a million years did she think the time that she had spent there might possibly save her life.

Weaving in and out of the buildings and alleys the pair flew, dodging the spells and curses that were a constant stream in the air around them. Having the home field advantage helped greatly as on more than one occasion the teens lost their pursuers, but only briefly.  
"Turn right here!" she screamed and yanked so hard on his shirt, she caused the broom to pitch to the right.

Regaining control Harry flew toward the direction she had instructed, and within a few moments a large tunnel cut through a hill appeared. Inhaling sharply, they streaked into the tunnel that was filled with vehicles. More than once they almost collided with a bus or semi that was traveling through the tunnel. Shooting out the other side, their hearts pounding in their chests, they didn't slow down as they soared toward the sky. Looking over her shoulder, Rachel smiled brightly seeing only the city behind her.

"We lost them!" she cried happily hugging Harry tightly.

"I wouldn't celebrate yet," he replied seeing a pillar of smoke appear directly in front of them.

Before it even fully developed Harry pulled up sharply on the broom causing them to back-flip a move he had performed several times before, but never with another person riding with him. Being caught off guard Rachel's grip slipped from around his neck and while they were still upside down, she began to plummet toward the earth.

Her screams could be heard over the rush of the wind as Harry barrel rolled out of the flip and dove after her. Streaks of light flew past him as he tried his best to catch up with her before she hit the ground. Staring up into the sky Rachel's life began to flash before her eyes, she knew there was no escaping the reaper this time.

Being one of the best seekers in the history of Hogwarts played to Harry's advantage, as he managed to catch up to the rapidly falling girl. Reaching out a hand he screamed frantically for Rachel to grab it before it was too late. Straining against not only gravity but the wind as well, she managed to grab a hold of his flailing hand, which managed to slow her decent. Unfortunately, the extra weight at the nose of the broom caused it to pitch and Harry to lose control. Still holding onto Rachel and seated on the out of control broom, he managed to somewhat direct them toward a patch of trees.

Each branch that struck the pair felt like a punch or a slap as they hit the trees almost at full speed. In the midst of their crash landing she lost her grip on his hand. Soon she found herself falling alone through the forest, each impact more painful than the one before. Finally, the ground came into focus as she struck it with such intensity it left a dent in the earth where her body had impacted, and then everything went black.


	6. Chapter 6: A Missed Flight, Perhaps?

**Chapter 6: A Missed Flight, Perhaps?**

Hermione Granger had been worrying for a while now. It must have been about three days since she had really heard from Rachel…come to think about it, she hadn't heard from Harry either. Chewing on her lip she lay in bed waiting for her parents to wake before she made her way downstairs. Hermione had always been an early riser, but glancing at the clock, 5:30 was really taking it too extremes. She didn't want to worry her parents by waking them at this hour; already they had felt the tension around her over the past couple of days.

Every conversation that even slightly reminded her of Rachel made her stiffen up, so her parents had just stopped asking. Now Harry had become silent and Hermione was on edge about the safety of her best friend. The whole thing was made worse because of the date. Today was the day that she had been waiting for over a month. Rachel would be arriving later that day after a very long flight to spend some time alone with her. Then the pair would be headed to the Burrow to close out the summer with their friends.

She was so excited to see her again after such a long time, but this small feeling in the pit of her stomach was making her anxious. Fidgeting with her hair Hermione tried to get the tangles out as she looked out her small bedroom window to see the street lamps go out. With a sigh she knew this was her signal that it was about time for her to get up and move around a little.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed she didn't even bother to return to make it, something that she normally did every day. She then went to her cupboard and pulled out some dark jeans and a green striped short sleeved shirt that Rachel had always loved on her. Smiling she thought of the memory of them being together after that horrible time when Hermione had thought she had lost her. Once dressed, she opened her bedroom door and crossed the landing to the bathroom where she tried to pull her hair back into a sophisticated bun. In the end she gave up and let it fall in waves around her face. With a quick second she brushed her teeth and gave her appearance a glance over before she went back to her bedroom to check that she had everything for the airport.

Picking up Rachel's flight details she made sure that she still knew the correct time. Perusing the info she realized that at that very moment thousands of miles away her girlfriend was boarding her plane. She was going to see her in less than eight hours, if all went well...

That strange feeling rose in her stomach once more but she pushed it away. Throwing her bag over her shoulder, before leaving her room, she made her way downstairs. The house was still but she could hear her parents starting to move around, getting ready for the day. Her father had been kind enough to take the day off to drive her to the airport. Hermione was old enough to drive, but had yet to apply for her driver's license. It wasn't that bad that he missed work though, he had been working really long hours lately. Also her mother worked with him and there were always plenty of people at the dentist office where all the kids went to get their teeth fixed.

Hermione dumped her stuff in the hallway by the door and went into the kitchen to fill up the kettle to make herself a cup of tea. As she waited for it to boil, she leaned back against the counter and stared off into space. Pondering why she had that uncomfortable feeling today of all days. The kettle clicked causing her jump. Laughing to herself she turned around to pour the boiling water into a mug. Crossing to the fridge she got out some milk and started to pour it out when her father walked into the kitchen.

"Morning early bird!" he joked causing Hermione jump once more. The sudden movement resulted in the milk sloshing all over the table top. Her father looked at her with a cheeky grin.

"Whoa, watch it missy!" he laughed causing him to receive a glare from her daughter. A split second later she smiled and grabbed a cloth to clear up the mess.

"Want some tea?" she offered.

"That would do nicely dear," her father replied before hugging her with one arm and making his way towards the kitchen table. "How you feeling today, love?"

With a forced smiled Hermione raised her tea to her lips. "Fine, Dad," she lied trying to shake the horrible feeling that would not leave her alone.

After spending the morning trying to keep herself distracted, the clock finally managed to tick to noon. Piling into her father's car they began the silent ride to the airport to pick up the American. The worry was increasing inside of her and had been building throughout entire journey. Now checking her watch for the fourth time in the last ten minutes, she knew that something had to be wrong. A simple plane trip was something she normally didn't fret about so was she worrying?

A grin appeared as she remembered the times when Harry and Ron would tease her over her stresses. Shuffling in her seat she looked out the window trying to take her mind off things. They were close the airport now, so close that she could see the airplanes landing on the run way. Somewhere up there, Rachel was landing, safe and sound. At least she hoped...

X X X

Hermione stood waiting at the gate, her father a little away from her, giving her some time to take in what had happened. Standing there she tried to come to some reasonable conclusion to what had happened. She had searched through the sea of faces that had exited the flight, but soon she realized she hadn't recognized any of them. Approaching the crowd of people that came from the flight the girl had hopes of getting some answers. But no matter how many people she asked, nobody had seen a young girl of Rachel's description. Wringing her hands together she took a steadying breath. There had to be some logical explanation as to why she wasn't here. She let out a huff and dismissed the growing dark thoughts as she turned around to shrug at her father.

"Must have missed her flight, sweetheart?" he offered with a small sympathetic smile.

Hermione nodded to herself and looked at her father quietly before smiling back. She walked with him out the airport and out into the summer day that somehow seemed tinted with darkness.

She knew what she was going to do, she mustn't overreact. So she would do the most rational thing possible, she would send Rachel one more owl before she contacted Ron to see if he had heard anything. If all was well, Hermione would get a teasing letter back within the next couple of hours.

Back at home she laid down her quill and rolled up her short and questioning letter. She gave it to Harry's owl, whom seemed to be waiting for her request. How odd…

X X X

Rachel woke up with a groan as she rolled over and tried to sit up. _God that had been one nasty fall,_ she thought blinking trying to get rid of her double vision. Funnily enough she wasn't hurt badly; of course there were nasty bruises and a few cut from those god damn branches but she was surprised to find that she hadn't broken anything at all.

"Must have hit every single fucking tree," she muttered to herself as she stretched and moaned again as her muscles pulled. Rolling out of the dent that she had made once she had fallen she tried to get to her feet.

"Whoa!" she gasped almost toppling over after her first attempt.

Back on the ground, Rachel tried to remember why she was in the middle of a forest and why she had woken up in a small crater obviously caused by her. It had only been a few moments ago that she was flying... on a broom...being chased by death eaters...with _Harry_!

"Shit! Harry!" she shrieked remembering the fall and the last moment before she had hit the ground.

Had Harry fallen? Had he been captured? Or was he out there in the forest...dea… No, she couldn't even think about it. Rachel got to her feet more slowly this time and stumbled across the clearing where she had landed. Casting a glance up at the sky she saw the broken braches from the crash and deducted that they must have fallen from that direction.

_ So if Harry was still around...he would be... around about there_, she thought squinting through the darkness.

After a few more seconds she saw more broken branches and a broom stick chucked in the bushed, about twenty feet from where she had been lying. Rachel gasped and stumbled through the underbrush towards the broom. It didn't look damaged at all, in fact it looked like it had just been dropped, or even placed there. Unfortunately she knew that Harry was an excellent flyer, so whatever had happened must have been bad enough to have knocked him from his broom. Lightly touching the Firebolt's handle she couldn't help but scold him a little. It seemed like the sort of thing Harry would do; saving his own broom over his safety.

Upon looking closer at the ground, Rachel could make out impact marks of what seemed like a shoulder and a head. She could visualize him crashing into the ground and rolling over numerous times until he finally stopped. Shaking her head, she shivered.

_Where was he? If he had landed so badly, why wasn't he where he was supposed to be_, she thought.

The fear of his capture crept up on her again and she started to worry. She even saw a few blood smears on the grass a couple of steps away from her. The vision was strong, the thought of two dark men landing and dragging away an unconscious and bleeding teenager, unaware of the danger he was until he awoke.

Pacing she grabbed at her hair and tried to remain quiet incase the men were still here. It felt like eyes were on her causing her to spin around to face an empty forest. She needed to stay calm. After being with her nearly a year why couldn't she be more like Hermione in these situations? Taking a few breaths to steady herself she found that she could think. Before she could make any decisions a groan from the thicket made her jump and scream. Rachel clamped a hand over her face and wondered where that girly scream had come from. Looking towards where the noise had come from she made her way forward into the darker part of the forest.

There, she found a bloodied and broken form of Harry Potter. Gasping, she raced to his side before kneeling down next to him and trying to wake him up. She shook his arm a little but he merely groaned and kept his eyes closed. His glasses had been knocked from his face and Rachel noticed how vulnerable he looked without them. Picking them up she held onto them, before looking back at Harry with a worried gaze.

"Come on, Harry, please, wake up," she whispered sharply placing a hand on his side, which seemed to do the trick as he yelp and woke from his near slumber to groan even louder.

"Ouch," he muttered, his eyes were still closed but he had a pained look on his face which signaled that he was aware of his surroundings. Rachel looked at his pale and bruised face and bit her lip. They weren't going to get anywhere with him in this condition.

"I think you may have broken your ribs, Harry," she said softly to him as he moaned and tried to sit up. He yelped again and slumped back to the ground once more.

"Hermione? Is that you?"

Rachel almost smiled before she realized the seriousness of his condition, "No Harry, its Rachel, remember you came to pick me up tonight before the death eaters came? Harry look at me!"

He just hugged himself and tried to keep his ribs from further harm. Even though it was dark she tried to look at his head closely and found the source of all that blood. From the look of it she wasn't even sure if Harry had remembered anything at all.

"Never left alone...Always hunted, why? Why was it me?" he almost pleaded with her, his eyes still shut as he lay on the ground in a similar crater to hers. "Why is it always me? What have I done to deserve all this?"

"Harry please, we need to go… they could be still after us."

He didn't answer but kept muttering to himself; the soul piercer was reminded of the trauma that Harry had been through. Her heart ached a little for her friend as he screwed up his face in pain. She put a comforting hand on his arm before muttering, "Sorry, Harry."

And with that out of the way, she raised her other hand and smacked him right across the face, leaving him with a red mark on his cheek. Shaking his head a little he seemed to come out of his stupor.

"Rachel? Ow! What was that for? Where are you, I can't see anything."

Wordlessly she handed him his glasses. Putting them on his face Harry once more attempted to sit up a little. He let out a low hiss of pain and looked around him as the memory of the crash seemed to finally hit home.

"Here, let me help you," she said placing a tentative hand around his waist.

As quickly and painlessly as possible she moved him toward a tree so that he could sit back without any assistance. With a sigh he sat back and then he pulled out his wand.

"This is going to hurt," he muttered to himself as he pointed to his side.

Rachel tried to stop him but he had already chanted the spell with a grimace, "Episkey!" Her stomach rolled as she recoiled hearing a snap of the bones in Harry's torso repaired themselves. Crying out loud and the sound made Rachel grasp for his arm so she could comfort him. Breathing heavily and with sweat ran down his face he tried to overcome the shock the pain had brought. Slumping back against the tree he moaned as his head came into contact with the bark. There was a long pause before Harry managed to croak, "They'll be coming for us again, now that I've used magic."

Rachel froze feeling her insides turn to ice, then quickly looking around she finally snapped. She panicked! "Then we've got to move! Now!" she shrieked, not caring how high her voice had gotten.

"Rachel..." he said slowly in a worried tone, "I'm in no shape to fly, we'll have to go on foot, unless…I _could_ try and apperate."

She shook her head at that idea remembering that Hermione told her that one needed a lot of concentration to apperate, and Harry had that horrible gash in the back of his head. "You can't try that until you're a little less confused, come on; we just need to start moving."

Nodding in agreement he slowly got to his feet, but he winced. Grabbing his head in his hands he stumbled into Rachel. She was able to catch him before he fell and decided to put his arm around her shoulder so that she could support him. They needed all the luck in the world to get out of this alive.

"Come on Harry, they'll catch up with us anytime," she said worriedly as they made their way through the forest.

The all too familiar feeling of being watched was upon her. Before she could alert Harry, a dark and sinister voice came out from the thicket.

"Right you are… muggle."

Rachel could feel Harry groan as they turned to face the two death eaters, their wands pointing at the pair. Harry tried to get his wand out from his sleeve without them noticing but the taller of the two sneered at him.

"Don't even try it, Potter"

His voice taunted, Harry bristled and spat back," Or what Snape, you'll give me detention?"

She managed to hide her smirk behind a face of caution; she needed to keep her head in order to work her way out of this. Cautiously she crept backwards, pulling the boy wizard with her. The man she knew to be Snape growled at Harry and advanced a little.

"You're hurt badly aren't you, Potter? And yet your friend is not? Wouldn't it be best to come quietly so that we can keep it that way?" Snape asked in a low tone as he continued to walk slowly towards them. Noticing this, the muggle kept them moving backwards, out of reach of their grasp.

Harry laughed next to her before replying, "Oh yes, of course, walk into the open and comforting arms of death eaters who won't harm a single hair on our heads..." Harry sneered at the death eater before whispering to her under his breath "On three, we run, got it."

Rachel squeezed his arm to let him know that she understood and then focused on the dark men approaching them.

"Potter..." Snape growled at them "Drop your wand, now!"

Looking between the two with wide eyes, Rachel waited for the signal.

"One..."

"You're beaten Potter, you can barely stand."

"Two"

"The longer you draw this out, the more impatient the Dark Lord gets..."

Rachel shivered and Harry whispered the command, "Three, GO!"

Breaking out in a run, Rachel still keeping Harry from falling, they crashed through the undergrowth and dodged angry curses from the two men following them. They leaped over fallen logs and splashed through a small stream, going deeper and deeper into the forest, losing the death eaters to the darkness. All that could be heard was their labored breaths as they struggled to overcome the pain and push on through the night.

Eventually the came across a small clearing and stopped for a short while, thinking that they were safe. They were wrong. A red beam of light came at them and they had to duck to avoid it. They missed the death eater running at them, until he collided with Harry and pinned him to the ground. Rachel had been knocked over with the force and she had rolled onto her side, away from the pair on the ground. Snape entered the clearing and ran over to Harry and the death eater; who were still struggling.

"Bind his hands you fool!" Snape yelled at the man, but before he could, Rachel launched herself at him and pushed him off his friend.

Crawling away from the death eater Harry tried his best to escape. Jumping up she tried to help him. As she stood she missed the swift movement and when she looked up at Harry she froze. Snape stood behind him, his arm across his neck and wand pointed at the side of his head. Harry tried to struggle but the teacher obviously pressed hard on his neck as he began to choke.

He looked at Rachel and managed to gasp, "Run!" but Rachel looked into Snape's black eyes and knew that she couldn't leave him.

"Don't move," he said in a cold voice as Harry grew weaker and weaker

X X X

Hermione knew two things were amiss. She was at the Burrow once more and she still had heard nothing back from Rachel. The two things she hadn't wanted to happen, she was only there to debate with Ron on what had happened.

"Ah, Hermione, I'm glad you made it safely," Mrs. Weasley welcomed as she ushered her inside with her bags. Ron was waiting in the kitchen for his friend to arrive. The second she was in the house Hermione rushed over to him.

"You've heard nothing from either of them?" she asked ignoring Mrs. Weasley.

He nodded with a grim look on his face. Mrs. Weasley looked back and forth between them with a worried look upon her face.

"What's going on?"

Turning around quickly, Hermione's eyes began to water and her hair flew in her face. "Oh Mrs. Weasley! Rachel didn't turn up at the airport this afternoon and I've heard nothing from her and Harry for a while now. I wasn't going to make a fuss, but now there must be something going on!" she tried not to burst into tears in front of them both but the strain was too much.

Sitting sat down in a seat at the table and leant forward to rest her head on her arms. A single tear made its way down her face and Mrs. Weasley bustled over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't you fret dear, as soon as Arthur gets home, I'll send him to the Dursley's to check on Harry. And when you're up to it, we'll call Rachel on the fellyphone, okay sweetheart?"

Hermione sniffed and remained quiet; she didn't even have the heart to correct her as she stared at the family fire, waiting for Ron's father to get home.

Ron stood in the corner watching her, he was pale and a little shaky, but he remained silent, not trusting his voice to comfort her.

X X X

Rachel was breathing heavily as she watched the death eater hang onto Harry as he struggled less and less. Her eyes darted between the man still on the ground and the other training a wand at Harry's temple. He turning a slight blue but his eyes were screaming at her to run. She didn't move from her spot.

"Now, now child, Harry here is hurt enough. Make this easier for us and you'll make it easier for him," Snape said motioning his head toward the boy in his arms.

Rachel's mind was racing at the idea that had sprung into her mind; she needed to time it right in order for it to work. It had worked before with Voldemort, perhaps her acting skills could get her out of another dangerous situation.

Faking a sigh of defeat she relaxed her posture. Signaling to the man getting up from the ground Snape nonverbally instructed him to capture the girl. The other death eater walked over to her, a nasty grin on his face. Rachel tried to look as innocent as possible as the death eater came closer and closer. Waiting for the right moment, she began to draw back her arm. Suddenly she lashed out and smashed her fist into his face; knocking him to the ground once more, and possibly breaking her hand again. Then turning to Harry she rushed at Snape as he tried to conjure ropes to keep Harry from running. His legs weren't completely bound before the adrenaline filled girl crashed into them and knocked Harry and the death eater to the ground.

The impact caused Snape to lose his hold on the boy and his wand in the struggle. Harry gasped and drew in a ragged breath before he elbowed the man in the chest; leaving him slightly winded. Rolling away from him, he got to his feet and stumbled again. Grasping his forearm Rachel helped him as they ran as fast as they could into the forest once more. A rope trailed from Harry's leg as they ran but neither of them noticed until it tugged on his leg and caused him to topple over and fall. As he was being dragged backwards, Rachel yelled at him and held onto his arm. Cursing he drew his wand from his sleeve.

"God damn it!" he growled and pointed his wand at the rope, effectively severing it in two. Springing to his feet once more they ran further away from the two angry men. Finally it occurred to Rachel that they had nowhere to go. If they kept running around they would be just running in circles…they were trapped, "Harry, we've got nowhere to go!"

He shook his head a little and rubbed at his scar before looking at her with an uncertain gaze. "We're going to have to apperate..."

Rachel was shocked into silence and she almost stopped running, but she nodded in agreement. They ran for cover and skidded in the dust as they stopped behind some trees. "Hold on tight to my arm," Harry said quickly as he looked round.

"Just concentrate, Harry," she offered and he almost smiled at her before his brow furrowed in thought. For a while nothing happened but then all at once there was a crack and they disappeared just as a stunner flew towards where they originally where.

It was horrible, they crashed against each other through the void and Rachel couldn't stop herself from screaming as she felt herself press through what felt like a small space. The experience was horrific but it was over before they knew it. With a loud thud the pair landed on a door step. Rachel briefly saw the number twelve before Harry dragged her though a door and inside. They both collapsed in the hallways and slumped against the wall, leaning on each other as their breathing became less and less irregular. She felt her eyes become heavy and she knew that they were safe for the time being, so for the first time in months, the pair fell into a deep sleep that wasn't haunted by nightmares…

X X X

Somewhere in the night, two others remained awake as they waited for the news about their friends. They sat tense and in silence, neither of them looking at each other but only focusing on the fireplace. They waited as the night drew on...nothing came...


	7. Chapter 7: An All Night Vigil

**Chapter 7: An All Night Vigil**

After three hours of lying awake staring up at her ceiling, Molly Weasley decided that perhaps if she started her day and busied herself the thoughts of dread that caused sleep to elude her would miraculously cease. Rolling over she placed a hand on the cold mattress beside her, the fact the Arthur still wasn't home was not reassuring her that everything was okay. Her husband had left last night, dinner untouched; the moment he heard that not only was Rachel M.I.A. but also Harry as well.

"I won't be home until I know something," he said the previous evening, closing the door behind him, leaving his family to stare at the door anxiously waiting for it to open and welcome him home again with news about their friends.

Mrs. Weasley stood, her feet padding across the surprisingly cold floor, as she pulled her housecoat tightly around her. Even though it was still summer, a coldness seemed to have settle over the Burrow ever since word of the missing muggle and wizard was realized by the family. She had felt that something was amiss when Hermione had sent that owl the day before, normally Ron talked to her about what his friends wrote to him, but this time when she asked him, he remained vague about what she had written. It was only when Hermione arrived a few hours later alone, when she knew that Rachel should have been with her, did Mrs. Weasley know something was definitely wrong.

Watching the pair of them last night was heartbreaking to the mother of seven, and after a few hours of waiting with them for her husband to return proved to be too much, she excused herself to try and sleep. Lying in her bed she tried to relax, but nothing could be done to shut her mind off to allow her to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Harry and Rachel alone, bloody, and absolutely terrified, each screaming in pain or horror. It was too much to take for the witch seeing them this was considering she thought both of them as good as her own children.

After all, ever since Ron had befriended Harry seven years ago, the boy who lived had spent several extended visits in her home. Of course she knew his story and her maternal instincts instructed her to care for the boy as if he was her own flesh and blood. Then when Mrs. Weasley had been asked by Dumbledore to hide a severely injured muggle, her heart immediately went out to the poor broken girl, and then after she had heard what she had done to protect Hermione she welcomed Rachel into her brood as well.

Passing by a mirror as she made her was to the stairs; Mrs. Weasley couldn't help but pause to stare at her reflection in the smooth surface. Her normally bright blue eyes stared back at her dully and were now framed by dark purple circles that clung to the skin underneath. Sighing she tried to tame the unruly mess of red hair that was piled on top of her head, she honestly could not remember a time when she looked this poorly before, but then again none of her children had ever been missing before.

_Please_, she prayed silently leaning her forehead against the cool glass,_ please let them be okay, make sure they are safe, and most of all make sure they stay together._ It took every ounce of strength to stop the tears that had begun to form in the corners of her eyes; she knew that if she started she might not be able to stop.

Pulling away from her reflection, Molly tiptoed down the stair, not wanting to wake up Ron and Hermione she knew they probably had stayed up as long as they could wait for any news, and they had to be exhausted. Reaching the landing at the bottom of the steps Mrs. Weasley halted her quiet journey toward the kitchen when she saw there was no need for the silence.

In the living room, in the exact same spots she had left them the night before, Ron and Hermione sat each one of them on opposite ends of the sofa. As she stood in the doorway she watched as Ron's head bobbed, fighting the pull of slumber that was trying to take hold. Fighting sleep he glanced sideways at his friend part of him waiting for her to return to the dark place she had entered before when Hermione thought Rachel was dead, so he had spent most of the night watching her.

_I don't know how she's doing it_, he thought rubbing his sore eyes. After all it wasn't just her best friend missing but her girlfriend as well, but still she appeared to be handling everything very calmly as she continued to stare into the now dying embers of the fireplace.

"Did you two get any sleep last night?" Mrs. Weasley's voice broke through the seemingly endless silence that had descended over the teens.

Her voice broke the hypnotic hold that had grabbed onto the pair and for the first time in nearly seven hours they looked away from the fireplace. Standing up Ron, stretched and while scratching his head yawned, "No".

Crossing the room he threw himself into one of the chairs surrounding the kitchen table, and forced a smile toward his mother. "Anything from Dad?" he asked his voice hoarse with exhaustion.

Shaking her head sadly, Mrs. Weasley turned her attention back toward the sofa were Hermione still sat. Sighing heavily Hermione placed her tired eyes into her hands, still not believing how drastically her life had changed in the past twenty-four hours. Right now she should be waking up in her own bed with her arms around Rachel, not sitting in Burrow wondering if Rachel and Harry were even still alive to see another sunrise. The only slight comfort that she had was in the constantly glowing star crossed lovers' pendent that hung around her neck,though every time it flickered slightly caused a wave of nausea to grab her stomach.

_At least she still alive_, she thought miserably leaning her head against the back of the sofa, _but in what kind of condition is she in at the moment is what I would like to know._

"Hermione dear, some breakfast?" Mrs. Weasley asked tying the apron around her slightly plump waist.

"No thank you, Mrs. Weasley," she replied dragging herself to her feet to join mother and son in the kitchen, "I'm not really feeling up to eating at the moment."

Nodding solemnly she turned toward her youngest son, "Ron?"

"No thanks Mum, not hungry at the moment," he said staring toward the door praying that at any moment his father would burst into the kitchen with Rachel and Harry in tow. The thought brought a smile to his face, hoping that this is all just one big miscommunication about flight plans and owls getting lost in transit.

His phrase caught both his mother and Hermione off guard, if there was one thing everyone knew about the red head was his seemingly endless appetite. The duo shock was cut short by pounding of footsteps down the wooden staircase as Ginny flew into the kitchen, her sock covered feet sliding on the floorboard. "Dad back yet?" she asked breathlessly it was apparent she has run from her room on the third floor.

"Not yet," her mother smiled and nearly dropped an egg on the floor, her nerves were on edge and she knew that she needed to hear some news soon because this limbo was already starting to take a toll on her, "come sit for some breakfast, dear."

"Not hungry Mum thanks anyway," she sighed and slumped down beside her brother.

Like the rest of the occupants of the house the only daughter in the Weasley family had not gotten a full night of sleep. Even though they were no longer together the news that he was missing hit her hard, and in reality she was only other person who had a slight idea what Hermione was going through. Currently, her and Harry were broken up, he felt if they remained together Voldemort would use her to lure Harry to him. In order to keep her safe from harm he had made the decision to break things off with her at Dumbledore's funeral.

Even though all three kids had refused breakfast, Mrs. Weasley set to work preparing eggs, bacon, and pancakes. "Mum, what are you doing?" Ginny asked looking over as her mother flipped perfect pancakes with a flick of her wand.

"Making breakfast for your father," she said matter of factly staring into the air above the oven, "he didn't eat dinner before he left last night he has to be hungry, and if he has Harry and Rachel with him then I'm sure they will be hungry as well, and once we are all together then we will all want to eat breakfast together."

Their mother's slight rambling frightened the children as they exchanged worried looks. If the adults were starting to get nervous about the current situation, then they knew that this could turn serious very quickly_. I just hope that we get some news soon_, Ginny thought looking at the serious, sad faces that surrounded her, _for everyone's sake._

As if someone had heard her personal thoughts, a loud crack sounded in the front yard. Simultaneously, looking at each other Hermione, Ron, and Ginny leapt to their feet, joy and relief pumping through their veins with each beat of their hearts.

Reaching the door first Hermione grasped the brass handle and flung the door open, nearly clipping the two Weasley children with the wooden surface. Squinting out into the bright early morning sunlight the trio spotted the silhouettes of three people just outside the gate. The middle shape was obviously that of Mr. Weasley while on one side was a figure with long hair that was tied back in a ponytail that blew in the gentle morning breeze, and on the other side was a tall lean person leaning against Mr. Weasley. The smiles appeared on all three faces as they raced toward the figures, each one preparing to tackle a different person.

_She's safe, Harry's safe;_ Hermione thought smiling brightly as she neared the gate, _he found them and she is all right, they're both all right!_

Time seemed to slow down the closer they got to the gate, until the figures came into view causing time to completely stop. The trio grinded to a halt at their eyes finally adjusted to brightness and they realized to their disappointment they wouldn't be embracing anyone in relief. Nausea now hit Ginny and Ron as well as they realized it was Mr. Weasley standing in front of his family with tired eyes, and at his sides were not the two teens but instead his eldest son Bill and fellow Order of the Phoenix member Remus Lupin.

"You didn't find them," Hermione whispered to herself a knot tightening around her still rapidly beating heart, "she's still out there. . ."

Mrs. Weasley caught up the group of children in the middle of the yard and placed a hand on Hermione's slightly trembling shoulder. "Bill?" she asked in surprise, her voice raising a few octaves.

"'Ello Mum," he said a sheepish grin pulling on the corners of his mouth.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you dear, but what are you doing here?" she asked wrapping an arm around Ginny as she dropped back to her mother's side.

Opening the gate the men stepped through, each looking like too hadn't gotten any sleep the night before. "Dad, asked me to join in the search," he replied hugging his mother.

Embracing her son as she looked over his shoulder and into the face of her longtime friend and husband, she could read him in an instant; he wasn't bringing the news they had been praying for

"Arthur, what is it?"

"Let's just go inside," he said somberly trying to avoid eye contact with all three of the children, "we all need to talk."

**X X X**

_That was certainly a close one,_ the airy voice filtering through her first deep sleep in months; _I must say I was worried there for a little bit._

_ Son of a bitch_, she thought as she groaned loudly as Rachel cracked her tired eyes open; it felt like she had only been sleeping for a minute or two before she was interrupted. The silvery form of Dumbledore stood before her in the darkened hallway in the strange place that Harry had pulled her into after their near escape. "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" she moaned, kicking her feet like a two year old throwing a temper tantrum. "What could you possible want right now this second?!"

Chuckling to himself Dumbeldore shook his head. _I am simply making sure both you and Harry are okay after your little mishap_.

With a stretch, that pulled on her sore muscles and caused her to wince in pain, she looked to her left to be sure that Harry was still asleep. After saving her life she thought that a night of uninterrupted sleep was the perfect reward for her savior. Luckily, her outburst hadn't disturbed him as he continued to slumber, his head leaning against her shoulder as soft snores escaped his rising and falling chest. "I think we will live," she replied smiling watching him dream, "I'll patch him up when he wakes up, I think he earned a little rest after that adventure."

Smiling Dumbledore squatted down in front of the pair, and after reaching out lifted Rachel's face so he could inspect it better_. I think you also could use some patching up yourself_, he said noticing the multitude of bumps and scratches that clung to her fair skin.

"Eh, I'm fine," she sighed shaking off his astral touch, "he got the worse of it, he always seems to."

_This is nothing compared to what you two will have to face_, Dumbledore said standing up as he looked down at his former student.

Rachel felt the blood in her veins freeze instantly at his words, what more could they go through? _Unless_, she thought looking at Harry and then back up at Dumbledore, _you don't mean they find. . . _

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" her voice beginning to quaver at the thought of every worst case scenario possible.

_ I've said too much already,_ he stated as he began to back away toward the wall on the opposite side of the hallway.

"No," Rachel shouted without thinking, "no, you can't just come in give me some vague cryptic message about our future and then not explain. If you cared about Harry or me like you pretend to then you have to warn us."

_But telling you what is to come will not stop the inevitable_; he said his outline becoming slightly distorted as he began to fade from view.

"No, but it sure as hell could help us out when that time comes if we know what to expect," she demanded motioning to herself and Harry, who was still snoring. "You could be sentencing us to death by not telling us!"

Leaping to her feet Rachel wanted to strike to old man, it was one thing if her and Harry both perished but it was something totally different if at least one of their deaths could be prevented by a clue or two from right now. "Don't you care about us at all?"

_It is because I care so much about you both that I must remain silent. If I taint your future with information, the choices you were meant to make will not be the same, it could change the course of your histories, and I have seen beyond these events and I will not risk what I have seen_, his smiling face faded into a silver mist leaving Rachel feeling alone and absolutely terrified of the days to come.


	8. Chapter 8: Welcome to the Noble House of

**Chapter 8: Welcome to the Noble House of Black**

"What is this filthy muggle doing in my mistress' house?" the low raspy voice croaked through her happy dream of a life with Hermione and without Voldemort. "Oh my poor mistress, what would she say if she saw this fifthly disgusting being in her house?"

_Seriously_, she thought angrily huffing in annoyance, _what do I have to do to stop these interruptions and get a full night of fricking sleep?_

Upon opening her eyes the thought immediately occurred to her that she still had to be asleep. Before her stood a tiny creature unlike anything Rachel had ever seen before in not only her dreams but in her waking hours as well. It stood no more than two and a half feet tall, with large batlike ears that were full of all the white hair that should have been on top of his bald head. It stared up at her with large bloodshot eyes, a look of hatred plastered across its little grey wrinkled face.

"What the hell are you supposed to be?" she thought aloud staring back at the creature as she reach forward and attempted to poke this dreamlike being before her. Half expecting her hand to pass through the hallucination, she couldn't help but jump back when her fingers made contact with the squishy flesh.

Grimacing away from her touch, the tiny wrinkled creature, almost hissed as he raised a wooden spoon he was carrying and in one fluid movement swung his weapon. The loud crack of wood against bone echoed in her ears as Rachel cried out and instantly grabbed her head. The sharp pain split through her skull as she kicked the ugly little being away from her.

"Get the fuck away from me!" she screamed feeling the large goose egg already beginning to swell underneath her fingers.

Rachel's cry echoed off the walls of the large empty house, and soon was joined by another female's screams. "Scum! Filth! Freak, mutant, dirty vile blood! How dare you set foot in my home!" the voice boomed loudly causing the thin layer of dust that had settled over the house to vibrate.

Poor Harry, who had been having an absolutely lovely dream about Hogwarts and quidditch, shot straight up as the mysterious female continued to scream ear piercingly loud. Finally the haze of his sleep began to wear off as he looked from Rachel holding her throbbing her head to the house elf picking himself off the ground from being kicked over. "What the hell is going on?" he cried still his daze breaking from his sudden and rather rude awakening.

"That _thing_ attacked me!"

"What?" Harry strained to hear Rachel's almost never quiet voice.

"_I SAID_. . ." Rachel screamed cupping her hands around her mouth so Harry might have a slight chance of hearing her above the ruckus.

"Oh never mind!" he yelled clamping his hands over his ears to block out the high pitched shrieks, "be back in a moment."

With that said Harry bolted from the hallway and up the decrepit looking staircase. Not wanting to take her eyes off him, just in case she blinked and it suddenly disappeared, Rachel glared at the little "man". She still didn't know what it was and was hoping that when Harry came back he could hopefully shed some light on the identity of her attacker.

As suddenly as it began the screaming ended leaving the house eerily quiet, except for the creaking floorboards overhead as Harry made his way back toward the stairs, cursing the entire way under his breath.

"Harry, who the hell was screaming," Rachel yelled squinting trying to source of the mysterious screams, "I thought that we were supposed to be alone?"

"We are," he grumbled as he stomped down the stairs, "it was a portrait of Mrs. Black, but if you don't make any sudden loud noises she won't do that again."

"Sure," Rachel replied as her brain shut off at trying to comprehend what Harry had just told her, "Keep quiet or else the crazy lady in the painting will blow our eardrums out, gotcha."

Even though she was in love with the smartest witch of her year in school and some of her best friends were wizards as well, Rachel still was like a fish out of water when it came to magic. And sometimes she discovered it was best to not ask questions, to remain blissfully ignorant, about these elements that seemed to be common in their world. The screaming portrait was one thing, but this tiny creature that struck her was something completely different.

"She doesn't like anyone but purebloods in her house, so let's just say in her eyes that you aren't really welcome here," he said a cheeky grin spreading across his face. "No offense."

"Gee I never would have guessed that from all the insults and the little . . ._ thing_ cracking me on the head," she hissed narrowing her eyes at the being.

Silently, the house elf lifted his spoon once again and swinging it like a bat connected with Rachel's knee cap, dropping her instantly to the ground. Grimacing Harry knew that must have hurt something fierce but he knew the moment that she had called Kreacher's mistress crazy it was only a matter of time before he retaliated. Biting her lip to tame the stream of curses and cry of pain, Rachel felt tear well up in her eyes. "You little… son… of… a… bitch," she growled punctuating every word as she grasped her now drumming knee.

"You should not have insulted my mistress," he croaked lowering his spoon to his side, "you should learn some manners, filthy creature."

"Filthy creature? I'm the filthy creature?!" Rachel screeched her anger building with every throb of her head and knee. Gritting her teeth she lunged, her hands outstretched to choke the smug breath out of the little beast. If it wasn't for Harry's quick reflexes she would have caught Kreacher before he disappeared in a loud crack. "What was that?" she asked her hands clasping the empty air that he had previously been standing.

Releasing her shoulders Harry helped her back to feet after the blow from the house elf. "That would be Kreacher, the house elf," he stated looking around as if waiting for him to reappear.

"The house _elf_?"

The image of the North Pole and Santa's workshop being filled to the brim with tiny workers all looking like this elf filled her sore brain. Suddenly Christmas seemed to lose some of the childlike wonder it had had before, and now had a creepier feeling to her. Shaking her head, Rachel chuckled lightly at the almost comical and somewhat frightening thought. "Makes me feel kinda pathetic that I got my ass handed to me by an elf," she laughed rubbing the tender spot on the crown of her head.

Chuckling loudly Harry placed an arm around Rachel's shoulders; after all he had had his own experience with house elves. "Eh don't feel bad, you wouldn't be the first person that happened to," he reassured her as he gave her a quick squeeze, "besides he caught you while you were sleeping."

"Right," Rachel laughed and lightly shoved Harry, "I would have been able to grab him easily, because you know I have the reflexes of a dead cat."

The pair broke into laughter as they sat down on the bottom few stairs, pulling their bags close to them. After all they had both taken a rather nasty fall and they wanted to be sure that there supplies had survived as well. Luckily all Rachel really had in her bag was clothing, which obviously was in no danger of being damaged by the violent impact. As she took inventory of her items she watched as Harry opened his pack and upon reaching in the seemingly normal backpack swallowed his entire arm up to his shoulder. Smiling to herself watching yet another unfamiliar magical element be brought to light; she suddenly felt a sharp prick in her fingers that were still in her own bag.

"What the hell?" she muttered, pulling her hand out to reveal blood rolling down almost all of her fingertips. Turning the almost empty bag over, she dumped the rest of the contents onto the dusty wooden floor. To her shock glass rained out of the canvas bag followed by the broken picture frame that she had tucked in her bag before she had departed. Silently she prayed the actual photo itself had not been destroyed, and breathing a sigh of relief she brushed the tiny broken glass particles that clung to the glossy surface, to reveal the photo was unharmed.

Rachel felt her gut constrict starting at the photo of her and Hermione, remembering that right now she should have been with her, waking up in her love's home in England, and they pair should have been beginning their day of touring around Hermione's home town. _She has to be worried sick about me_; she thought imagining Hermione waiting for her in the airport, and her terror when she realized that Rachel was never going to step off of the plane.

Looking up at Harry she tried to hide the tears of guilt that she felt forming, as she reached out and brushed back his hair to reveal the gash from the night before. Seeing the wound in the actual light instead of by moonlight showed that it did look a lot worse last night, but still there was no doubt that he needed to get the wound treated. "You really need get that taken care of, Harry," she suggested watching him wince at her touch, "I suggest we both get cleaned up and then I'll patch you up. Please tell me there is a bathroom in this place."

Motioning with his head to the landing above, Harry helped Rachel as she began to repack her bag. "Upstairs," he said slowly standing up, his entire body was sore and he knew that a warm shower would help his aching muscles, "there are two of them if I'm not mistaken, but I'm not sure. There are bedrooms up there as well, so perhaps we should go get settled in since we are going to be here awhile."

"Might as well," she sighed gently folding the picture and tucking it in the back pocket of her jeans. "But just in case there is only one bathroom. . ." she started and then giving Harry a cheesy grin took off up the stairs, "I call shower first!"

Laughing as he chased after her up the loudly groaning steps, Harry couldn't help but smile. For one carefree moment they were both just two ordinary friends, playfully fighting over the bathroom, and in that moment every worry about the unknown melted away, as he and Rachel pushed and pulled onto each other hoping to throw the other off balance to reach the shower first.

**_X X X_**

Forcing another forkful of the eggs his mother had prepared, Ron looked over at Hermione who had been pushing her food around her plate for the past hour. He felt horrible that after their all-night vigil, that his father hadn't brought home the news that they were all hoping for. Propping his elbow up on the table and placing his narrow chin in his hand, Ron listened to his father continue to recap what had happened during the hours he was away.

Apparently, after Mr. Weasley had left he immediately had headed to the Dursley's home in Little Whining. Now, the Durselsys were by no means fans of the Weasleys after the last time they had shown up to collect Harry three summers ago by appearing in their boarded up fireplace. Then after they had made it into the room, one of the twins had "accidently" dropped one of their famous practical joke treats which, of course, were eaten by their pudgy son Dudley causing his tongue to grow a foot or two long. So when Mr. Weasley showed up to ask about their nephew's whereabouts, they weren't exactly welcoming and willing to help in the hunt.

"When I asked them where Harry was, he slammed the door in my face," Mr. Weasley explained placing his fork down on his empty plate, he didn't realize how famished he was after the night long searching, "must not have recognized me; perhaps he thought I was some sort of salesman."

Ron and Hermione exchanged the same look at almost the exact same moment. They both knew that Mr. Dursley knew damn well who he was and why he had come there, but he didn't care. He despised his nephew and the magical world that he truly belonged to, so it was no surprise to Harry's two best friends that he had acted that way.

"Well after I knocked again, he came back shouting that Harry wasn't there anymore. Said he took off two nights ago, not sure what time but when they woke up in the morning he wasn't there," Mr. Weasley said looking into the tired worried eyes of the people surrounding him. "Have you tried to contact Rachel yet?"

Clearing her throat Hermione shook her head. "No, not since I wrote her when I got home from the airport yesterday. But I was planning on phoning her today when it is a bit later there, right now it's the middle of the night," she responded her voice obviously hoarse with exhaustion.

"Indeed," Mr. Weasley nodded and without another word, he stood in unison with both Bill and Lupin.

"Where are you three headed off to?" Mrs. Weasley asked watching the trio of grown men stand. "You've been out all night; you need to get some sleep."

Turning to his wife, Arthur smiled causing wrinkles to form in the corners of his eyes. "Molly, Harry is out there and Rachel might be with him. Who knows what kind of trouble might be searching them out at this very moment, and I can't let anything happen to those kids. So until then I won't be sleeping, I'm going to call a meeting of the order and we are going to expand our search area."

In unison the three teens all stood up and uttered, "I'm coming too." Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all knew they couldn't possibly take another day just sitting at home, waiting. They all felt they needed to be out there with the adults, scouring the country to find one wizard and one soul piercer.

"Dad, we want to help you," Ron pleaded at the moment he saw his father shake his head, "If anybody knows Harry it's us, we know how he thinks, we really could help you find him!"

Placing hands on his youngest son's shoulder, Arthur peered into his crystal blue eyes. Right before him he realized he was no longer looking into the eyes of a boy, but of a man, and this caused a great pride to swell in his father. "I need you to take care of your mother and Ginny while I'm gone," he said, but then lowered his voice to just above a whisper, "and you need to be with Hermione If there is one thing that I think she needs right now it is her best friend. You need to be her rock right now, son."

Glancing over his shoulder Ron saw that Hermione had slumped back into her chair, and now sat with her face in her hands. He knew that the confirmation that Harry was not at his aunt and uncle's had begun to slowly eat away at her hope that the pair was just going to randomly appear at the Burrow laughing about a huge mix-up in plans. "I won't let you down," he whispered nodding toward his father, who clapped him on the shoulders before turning and kissing his wife goodbye, then the three apperated out of the kitchen with a loud crack.

Sighing deeply, Mrs. Weasley stood and began to clear the table of the dishes, most of which still contained a good bit of food. It was very apparent to her that none of them really had much of an appetite. Once this was done she excused herself to go lie down for a bit, the news that the children were still lost out there in the giant world, hadn't settled well with her, leaving the three teens alone in the living room.

Reclining back on the couch Ron was soon joined by his sister and his longtime friend. Silence fell over the group almost instantly, which was strange since the normal group of five was never known to be quiet. But it appeared with two key factors in their group not being there the familiar air that gravitated toward them was gone. Keeping his eyes on Hermione, Ron could physically see all the stress of worry taking its toll on the seventeen year old. "How you holding up?" he finally dared to ask her after watching her foot bounce on the floor for twenty straight minutes.

Looking up at him, Hermione tried to keep her emotions in check. But the moment that she made eye contact with him, she lost control. "To be honest not too good," she sniffled as the tears all tried to rush forward, "it's not just the fact that they are gone, I hate not knowing where they are, if they are together, and if they are okay. I mean so far we have only confirmed Harry is gone, but no one has even gone to check on Rachel. Part of me is hoping this is just her way of breaking up with me and not telling me, but then the other part of me knows that she wouldn't go about doing it this way." Hermione's normally logical brain was being pulled in so many different directions that it was only a matter of moments until her rambling turned into sobs as the overwhelming urge to cry became too much for her. "On Christmas she promised me that she would never leave me again! She promised me! I trusted her to keep that promise, and she broke it. For that I hate her," she sobbed letting the tears free fall onto her cheeks and hands, "but part of me is absolutely terrified that they didn't leave by choice, that they are in horrible danger, and I'm sitting her angry at her because she's missing. I've lost her once before Ron, and I don't think I could survive that happening again."

Doubling over as the floodgates opened wide, Hermione began to uncontrollably sob from not only sadness but also fear and guilt as well. Ron and Ginny were by her side in an instant and upon wrapping his arms around her trembling form, he tried his best to absorb all her sorrow and protect her. "They're gonna find them," he reassured her feeling his own throat tighten. "You heard Dad; they aren't sleeping until they find Harry and bring him home."

"But what if she isn't with Harry, what if she it out there hurt and scared out of her mind and she is all alone. What if something happened to her parents? I know her, if her parents were in any sort of danger she would protect them not matter what the cost. Even if I call her house and no one answers we still will be at square one," she gasped, she was beginning to hyperventilate due to her hysterics, "they all could be dead in their home and we would have no idea!"

The thought smacked Ron like a hard blow to his face, and he knew instantly what they would have to do to try and calm her fears. His father had entrusted him to take care of Hermione, to be her rock, and he would stop at nothing to make her feel better. He knew that in short of going out and finding Rachel himself, he needed to help figure out what happened to her. "Well, then I think perhaps we should do more than phone her this afternoon," he stated causing her tears to instantly halt.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well you said it yourself; if something happened to them all we would never know if we called them," he stated mopping off her sopping wet cheeks, "I think we have to take matters into our own hands. So how about it Hermione? Ginny? Up for a little trip to the States?"


	9. Chapter 9: The Meeting at Ground Zero

**Chapter 9: The Meeting at Ground Zero**

The early afternoon sun hung high in the sky, casting its glorious rays on all the neighborhood children. Tearing down the sidewalks on their bikes, they seemed to be racing time which was ticking closer and closer to the start of another school year. As the herd passed by all the familiar houses nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary in their young minds. Until a sound caused them to grind to an immediate halt. "What was that?" one asked whirling around searching for the source of the sound.

"Sounded like thunder," another suggested averting his eyes toward the heavens, which showed not a single cloud in the bright blue sky.

"It doesn't look like rain," the third one stated squinting into the sun.

Straining against all the other sounds that filled the air, they searched for the sound they had just heard moments ago. It was a loud crack, almost like a car backfiring that had just ripped through the air from a nearby yard, but from which one they weren't sure. After a moment or two waiting for the noise to repeat they grew bored and pedaled off toward the park to meet the others for their baseball game. If only they would have waited a few more seconds they would have caught a glimpse of a young woman of about seventeen emerging from the trees just yards away. Panning the surrounding streets she made sure that all the children were occupied with various activities before turning back toward the trees.

"It's probably best if you wait here," she said peeking her head back into the bushes; "if Rachel is missing I don't want a bunch of people breaking the news to her parents. You understand, right?"

"All right, but hurry we have to get back before Mum get suspicious," Ginny called as Hermione broke into a speed walk towards the house on the other side of the street.

As much as the three teens from Great Britain would have loved to spend a few days, even just a few hours in this new country exploring, they knew they were there for business not pleasure. The red haired girl had every right to be worried about the wrath of her mother, since after all they had told her they were simply going on a walk around the burrow to clear their heads. Both the Weasleys knew that if they were gone longer than an hour or so their mother would instantly know something was up with their story.

Pausing briefly in the front yard, Hermione could feel her heart drumming in her chest staring up at the familiar house she had spent a great deal of time at while visiting. The brown and cream two storied home sat in the acre lot in the center of the middle class neighborhood. Before she could second guess herself Hermione made a beeline to the front door, and as she raised her fist to knock something caused her to stop. The terrifying thought crossed her mind that at that very moment the bodies of all three Wests could be rotting away inside their home of twelve years.

_God I hope I'm wrong_, she thought and breathing in a shaky breath to steady herself dropping her fist to ring the doorbell instead.

The rhythmic tune of the doorbell could be heard though the wooden front door, as she held her breath, waiting for some sort of response to the announcement of her arrival. Ripper's bark sounded the alert of the visitor just in case his owner's did not hear the doorbell ring. "All right, Ripper, all right I heard it," the muffled voice, followed by footsteps sounded causing Hermione to release to breath she was holding.

The deadbolt was removed and the door opened slowly to reveal Jessica West holding the small dog. Hermione broke into a large smile upon seeing the Jack Russell, but she wasn't the only one happy at the unexpected reunion. His ears perked up, and tail began to feverishly wag as Ripper tried to leap from her arms the moment he spotted her on the other side of the door. "Let me go," he seemed to say though his warm brown eyes as he began to whine pathetically. Seeing the excited pup caused her to briefly forget all the darkness over the past few days, after all she had fallen in love with the energetic ball of fur the first night she had been there.

"Hey buddy, how've you been?" she asked before she could stop herself and reached forward to show him some affection.

Recoiling away from Hermione, Jessica pulled Ripper close to her. "Careful he tends to bite people he doesn't know," she said staring at the girl with rather cold eyes.

This was not the reception that Hermione was expecting at all, Rachel's mother adored her, and she had told this to Rachel one night when they were preparing dinner. The woman who was standing before her now was almost glaring at her, almost annoyed that she was being bothered.

_Maybe Rachel not showing up __**was**__ her way of breaking up with me_, she thought a lump building in her throat, as she pulled her extended hand back.

"Um Mrs. West," she squeaked wringing her hands nervously, she didn't understand what was going on. Jessica had never once made her feel uncomfortable when she had stayed, but something about the way that she was looking at her made her feel like she was staring at a complete stranger. "How have you been?"

"I'm fine," she answered as if she was almost unsure, staring at the girl with a confused look, "what can I do for you?"

"Mrs. West, I don't want to alarm you but. . ." she paused deciding if she was going to blurt everything out or if she would try break the news gently to the mother her daughter might be missing, "Rachel wasn't on the airplane when I went to pick her up."

Blinking several times Jessica simply stared at Hermione with the most perplexed look possible. "Come again dear?" she asked squinting her eyes as she tried to grasp what this girl was saying to her.

"Right, I know this must be hard to comprehend and I'm sorry to break this possibly troubling news to you in the manner but I was hoping that you could give me some answers about what exactly is going on," Hermione blurted out, like she was ripping off a Band-Aid, "Did you drop her off and something happened or did she not even get on the plane? Is this her way of breaking things off with me?"

"Well honey if you want to know those answers maybe you should ask her yourself instead of talking to me about it," she responded leaning against the doorframe.

Hermione felt her heart skip a beat or two, finally she was going to get some answers and then she would be able to go on with her life. But whether it was going to with or without Rachel she didn't know. Jessica stared at Hermione who was staring at her, waiting for her to go call Rachel. "Well, can you go get her so we can talk?" she asked as politely as possible, she felt her nerves running thin on patience.

"I would, if I knew who you were talking about."

The look of utter shock was across Hermione's face before she should rein it in. "Rachel West," she stated as a cold feeling began to crawl across her skin, even in the midst of the heat, "your daughter."

A laugh escaped the brown haired woman, who Rachel bore a striking resemblance to, as she shook her head. "You have the wrong West's household then," Jessica said shifting Ripper in her arms, as he was still trying to get to Hermione, he knew why she was there, "my husband and I never had any kids, would have loved to of had a daughter though. Guess it just wasn't in the cards for us."

Stomach beginning to roll Hermione felt her head spin; something definitely was not right with the fifty year old woman. For a moment she felt this was another huge misunderstanding, perhaps even an elaborate cruel joke. But it was the way that she was being stared at, that honest look that Rachel's mother, a woman she had spent an entire month plus some with, had absolutely no clue who she was confirmed that magic had to of been involved in some way. "Mrs. West, do you know who I am?" Hermione asked placing a hand behind her back.

Jessica smiled, the same smile that Hermione loved to see spread across Rachel's face. "I know you aren't the insurance agent that is coming to look at the giant hole in our spare bedroom."

_Spare bedroom_, her mind lingered on the words, there is no spare bedroom in their house, she was sure of that. Hermione remembered that had been the argument Rachel had used to allow her girlfriend to sleep in her room at night. The moisture was gone from her mouth in a beat, and her voice began to tremble. "What happened?" she asked barely above a whisper not sure that she really wanted to know.

"Not really sure, we just heard a loud bang, sounded like an explosion if you ask me. Went in there and the whole back wall was just ripped out," Jessica paused and looked at the girl who's color was slowly draining from her face, "look at me just rambling on about this like you would even care about any of it.

Breaths were beginning to catch in Hermione's tightening chest at the thought of Rachel's room being ripped apart while she was peacefully sleeping in her bed; her body flying through the air amidst the debris and landing in the backyard . . . landing in the backyard! Without another word she turned and bolted toward the back of the house.

"Hey!" Jessica called as she dropped Ripper in the house and slammed the door behind her.

The angry words of Jessica West were ignored by Hermione as she rounded the corner and headed for the backyard. _If she landed outside there would have to be some sign, an indent, blood something to show she was in that room_, she thought as she entered the grassy space behind the home which caused her hastened pace to end, it looked worse than she thought it would.

Shards of glass and large splinters of wood were clearly visible sticking out of the ground and lying on the top of the grass. A desk lay flipped on its top next to a tree while the matching chair dangled in the branches. Casting her eyes up where she knew Rachel's bedroom was she let out an audible gasp looking up at the gaping hole in the back of the house. Jessica had been right, this had to be the work of an explosion, and in Hermione's opinion it looked to be the work of some very powerful magic. There was no way that if anyone had been in that room that they would have survived and the thought caused her gut to contract.

This is getting more and more frightening, and the odds of finding Rachel were diminishing by the second. The footsteps of Jessica were approaching fast as Hermione quickly surveyed the ground. No dents, no blood, absolutely no sign at all that anybody had flown from the room during all the chaos. It was a bittersweet realization for the young witch, part of her was relieved that Rachel hadn't been thrown, but she still didn't know what had happened to her. She knew she had to get inside that house and examine her room, maybe there was some missing clue up there, just waiting to be discovered. Grasping the wand tucked into the waist of her jeans, Hermione turned to face Rachel's very angry mother.

"Just who so you think you are?" her mother huffed catching up to the teen in the warzone of a backyard.

"I'm Hermione Granger; a witch who is in love with your daughter, who is missing, possibly in grave danger, and I intend to bring her home safely to all of us. So I am sorry Mrs. West that I have to do this," she stated and squared off against the muggle.

Before Jessica could utter an argument, Hermione pulled her wand from its hiding place and aimed it at her future potential mother in law. "Petrificus Totalus," she stated and watched as Jessica stiffened up as if she was suddenly stricken with rigormortis.

For a brief moment she stood upright, like a toy solider at attention, before she wobbled and toppled backwards rather hard onto the grass. Hermione winced at the noise her body made when it hit the ground; she just hoped that Jessica would forgive her for this once she brought Rachel back. Timidly approaching the woman, the girl looked down to see Jessica's still and smooth as stone face except for her eyes that darted around frantically, obviously confused and frightened about what had just occurred. "Don't worry I'm not going to hurt you," she whispered and tried to move Jessica out of the middle of the yard, which she could have easily done with magic, but decided that enough magic had been performed on her.

Making her way back to the front yard she faced the direction where the Weasley teens were hiding. A sharp whistle caused the pair to look toward the direction of the house to spot Hermione gesturing them to come to her. A quick glance at the empty street allowed them to race across the road and join her on the side of Rachel's home. Upon entering the backyard Ron and Ginny's jaws dropped seeing Rachel's mother lying motionless on the grass. "Hermione what did you do?" Ginny asked as Hermione scooped down and grasped Jessica's ankles.

"Just help me move her out of the sun," she strained trying to lift the woman on her own, "and do it quick before someone looks over here."

Without another word Ron and Ginny grabbed Jessica's shoulders and legs, and between the three of them managed to lift her. After a short wobbly walk they managed to cross the yard and set her down in the chaise that sat on the back patio. Now if someone would happen to look in the yard it would appear as if Jessica was simply relaxing in the summer sun. "Come on," Hermione whispered beckoning them toward the back door.

Reaching the door the witch tried to enter the house but found it locked. Glancing over her shoulder as Ron and Ginny blocked her from view of any possibly nosy neighbors; Hermione pressed the tip of her wand onto the deadbolt. There was a whisper of alohomora, followed by a loud click as the lock unlatched. Reaching out Hermione turned the knob freely to let the small group into Rachel's furnished basement.

"Um are we breaking into your girlfriend's house?" Ron asked as a blast of air-conditioned air hit his sweaty face.

"You could say that," she answered her eyes adjusting to the dimly lit room.

"Couldn't you of just asked to be let in? And why did you do that to her mum?" he asked clicking the door shut behind him.

"Don't you think I would have done that Ronald?" Hermione snapped instantly silencing the stream of questions flowing from the young man's mouth. "Her mother doesn't even know who I am, so she wasn't exactly inviting me in for tea."

"What?" Ron almost shouted obviously shocked by the turn of events, "didn't you spend an entire month here?" _So much for this being a quick in and out with all the answers they had been hoping for_, he thought following behind Hermione who was the only one familiar with the layout of the house.

"Yes, I did, almost a month and a half to be exact," she replied leading the troop through the darkened basement toward the stairs; the sound of Ripper's barks still sounding the alarm above.

"I don't want to alarm you, Hermione but I think there might have been some sort of charm performed on her," Ron said which caused Hermione to roll her eyes.

"Thank you ever so much for clearing that up for me," she said every word dripping with sarcasm.

The carpeted stairs made very little noise as the trio ascended them toward the door that led into the kitchen; the door on the other hand was the complete opposite. A loud squeak of the unoiled hinges alerted the tiny creature he was no longer alone in the house. Turning from the front door where he had been waiting for his owner to return, he flew into the kitchen yapping like a crazed wild animal, hair on his back and hunches standing on end. Rounding the corner his angry barking ended almost instantly as he spotted one of his favorite people in the entire world standing before him.

Hermione laughed as the dog's tail began to wag so hard that he was throwing himself off balance. "Hey little guy," she cooed and swept him up in her arms. Quiet whines escaped the dog as she held him tightly against her, which caused her to nearly burst into tears. Ripper had never left Rachel's side in the entire time that she had stayed there, almost like he knew that she wasn't safe alone. After a while she considered them one entity with the very strong bond that could easily be sense between dog and master. As funny as it might have sounded Hermione swore that Ripper knew why she was there. "You know what happened to her don't you?" she whispered her face buried in his soft fur.

Pressing his wet black nose against her cheek, Ripper tried to comfort her, he had known eventually Hermione would come looking for his owner. After a few moments of silence Ginny stepped up to her friend's side. "Who is this?" she asked quietly reaching a hand out for the dog to sniff.

Hermione smiled, remembering Rachel introducing her to her pet, when she had first arrived at her home for the summer. Meeting owner at the door, the brown and white pup was excited to get acquainted with the new stranger in his home. After all she had been talking about Hermione nonstop to him since she had come back from being gone for so long. Holding the dog still so she could pet him, Rachel smiled proudly showing off her tiny protector. "This is my Jack Russell terrier, Ripper," she had paused waiting for her girlfriend to get the joke, "Jack . . . Russell, Ripper? Get it? Jack the Ripper?"

Hermione looked up at the soul piercer both slightly disturbed and yet amused by her choice of names for one of the cutest most non-vicious creatures she had ever seen. "You are a very twisted individual," she had laughed shoving Rachel's shoulder.

"Yes," Rachel laughed smiling brightly as she scooped up one of Hermione's bags, while still holding onto the pup, "but that's why you love me." And with that she quickly pecked her on the cheek before leading Hermione up the stairs to her room.

"This is Ripper," Hermione choked back the tears at the memory, as Ron and Ginny greeted the creature. "He's been watching over Rachel while she's been home." After the introductions Ripper was set back on the ground, time was wasting and they knew that they would have to be returning very soon or else face the wrath of Mrs. Weasley. Racing ahead of the humans, the dog trotted up the stairs to the second floor where Rachel's room was located. The vibe in the house had a dark edge to it and all three adolescents could feel it, there was no doubt in any of their minds that magic had been used.

Rachel's room stood at the end of the hallway, her door was closed, sealing off the giant hole from the rest of the house. Without even pausing outside to gather herself Hermione burst into the room, and immediately wished she wouldn't have done that. Her breath was gone in a flash as the room was destroyed truly looking like a bomb had gone off that had blasted out the wall with its shockwaves.

"Bloody hell," Ron whispered joining her in ground zero, causing him for the first time to truly doubt that Rachel was still alive. "Will you look at this place?"

"What do you think happened in here?" Ginny asked making her way over to where the outside wall should have been and peered outside.

Words could not be formed as Hermione walked around the dilapidated room almost in a daze, it was just so drastically different from the happy place she was used to. All personal items that belonged to Rachel were either flung out into the yard or boxed up in the corner in anticipation of her departure for not only England but college as well. Everything was all taped up and addressed to the flat she would be staying at during her schooling, just waiting to be sent . . . all except one box.

Ron and Ginny continued to search the room looking for some kind of clue about the events that had taken place, while Hermione dropped to her knees in front of the open box. All the neatly folded clothes that sat inside were rumpled as if someone had been rummaging through it pulling out various objects; almost as if someone was preparing for another trip just from this box alone. She couldn't stop herself as she removed the sweatshirt that Rachel had been given by Dumbledore on the first day they met. Holding it tightly she imagined she was holding her love again, that none of events of the past few days had happened and she was happy and safe in her arms.

_I miss you_; she thought sadly putting the sweatshirt back where she found it, when her eyes caught something at the bottom of the box.

Pulling out the small colored Polaroid Hermione stared into the frozen face of her missing lover with the smile that she loved so much ever present on her face, and her arms wrapped around another young woman. The strange girl looked up at her with chocolate brown eyes that bore quite a resemblance to her own eyes, which instantly confirmed who she was, Beth.

Beth Stillwater, Rachel's best friend and first girlfriend who had been murdered in the Forbidden Forest by Lord Voldemort the night before she entered Hermione's life, was returning her girlfriend's loving embrace. Whenever Rachel had a story to tell about her youth, Beth was always a main character in her adventures; Hermione knew she still missed her terribly even though she never let it show. But it was somewhat funny to her that in the entire time they had been dating never before had the female Gryffindor seen an actual photo of her, until right now.

Looking down at the photo of the girls, who did not look too much younger than Rachel currently was, she knew that it had to of been taken a year or two ago. A smile came to her face at the fifteen year old girl who looked so completely carefree not knowing of the trials that were waiting for her. Then a thought crossed Hermione's mind, in this frozen moment in time Rachel had absolutely no idea that she was a soul piercer, that magic was real, that one day she would be targeted by Lord Voldemort, or that she even existed.

All that mattered to her at that exact time was surviving high school, not getting grounded, having as much fun with her friends as humanly possible, and being with Beth. It was a bittersweet realization for Hermione, staring at a small piece of Rachel's past. She knew that Rachel loved Hermione very much, but before she had lost Beth, Rachel had been madly in love with _her_ and her life had been much safer now that it had become with the young witch.

_If she had never come over to Europe, if she never went into the forest, if Dumbledore had sent her back immediately, if she had never gotten close to me, then she would be here right now, living her normal muggle life with Beth and Ripper,_ Hermione thought feeling guilty about all the what ifs that were spinning in her head. It wasn't until this very moment and for the first time ever Hermione felt that Rachel's life would have been so much better off without her in it.

"Find anything?"

Ron's voice broke through the blanket of guilt that had draped itself over Hermione plunging her into despair. Sniffing she dropped the photo back into the box before standing, and turning to face the others. "Nothing," she sighed, "I guess this all was just a giant waste of time, we still don't know what happened to her."

"Not completely," Ron smiled trying to make his friend feel better; he knew that she hadn't gotten all the answers she had been hoping for. "At least you know that her family is alive, and it appears that she wasn't in the room when whatever happened went down. I don't know about you but I'm starting to feel that perhaps this wasn't all chance. Think about it what are the odds that not only Rachel is gone, but Harry is as well? Sounds almost like they planned this whole thing."

"And," Ginny jumped in as she made a conclusion of her own, "if they _were_ taken her mum's memory wouldn't have been altered, she would have just been killed. That sounds like Harry's doing if you asked me, and I will bet you that no matter where they are, they are there together."

"Perhaps you're right," Hermione admitted as their words brought surprising comfort to her. It all made perfect sense when one would think of it like this. Even though they still didn't know where the pair was at or why they took off, the trio surprisingly felt confident about their friends being found alive and well. But a quick glance at a watch caused their relief to instantly change to fear, their hour they had given themselves had passed much more quickly than they had anticipated.

"Gahhhh Mum's gonna kill us!" Ron cried reading the time on his wrist. "We have to get back now!"

"You go ahead; I will be right behind you," Hermione stated as she watched the siblings apperate with another loud crack leaving her alone in the dark room. Now that she was alone for the first time in a few days she had time to digest the current state her life was in. Her girlfriend and best friend were missing, Lord Voldemort was at large killing anyone in his path, and soon she would be returning to a school were the headmaster had been murdered by a professor; all of this stacked up to be a very dark future ahead of her.

Turning back to the box she crossed the room swiftly and snatched the photo back up. _I may not be able to rid myself of all the magical dangers in my life,_ she thought her eyes locked on the eyes of the carefree teen in the photo, _but I have the ability to make them disappear in yours_. Tucking the photo into her pocket as a reminder of her future plans to protect the person she loved, Hermione spotted Ripper sniffing the open air at the giant hole in the wall. Looking over his shoulder, she swore she could read his thoughts.

_You're going to bring her back right_, he seemed to say through his eyes_, I want her back._

Joining the only other creature that missed Rachel as horribly as she did, Hermione scratched behind his ears. "Don't worry I'll bring her home to you," she whispered, her words catching in her throat, "and I'll make sure she will never be in danger ever again."


	10. Chapter 10: Search Party Closing In

**Chapter 10: Search Party Closing In**

In her entire eighteen years of life Rachel could never remember a shower feeling so invigorating despite the creepy surroundings. Let's face it Grimmauld Place bore more resemblance to a haunted house than a five star hotel, but she would have to get past all the spider webs and the constant creaks and groans. She trusted Harry and if this was the place he had brought her, then she knew that they would be safe here. Wrapping the towel tightly around her torso she stepped into the flip flops she had laid outside the tub. No way was she letting her feet touch the moldy looking bathmat. Making her way to the sink she removed the layer of steam that had collected on the mirror with one swipe of her hand, along with an unexpected layer of dust.

Sighing heavily Rachel wiped her hand on her towel to restore it to its previously clean state. Staring at herself in the mirror she surveyed her injuries that were much more minor than she thought they were going to be. The bruise on her left cheekbone was the most serious one, while a few scratches crossed her skin in various locations on her fair face. Her body on the other hand looked like a map with the multitude of ugly bruises that appeared during the course of the night.

_Why is it every time I am around magical people I end up looking like a car accident victim_, she thought gently touching the welt on her cheek.

A glint of blue light, reflecting in the mirror, distracted her from her injury as the pendant around her neck shone brightly. It had been a constant glow for hours. Tightly gripping the star Rachel felt lightheaded with all the emotions that began to overwhelm her.

_I'm keeping her safe_, she repeated over and over in her head, hoping to bat away the feelings that were making her sick with blame.

The groan of the pipes overhead ended abruptly signaling that Harry was out of the shower as well caused her to open her eyes and release the necklace. Luckily for him that he was correct in telling Rachel there were two showers because she had easily beaten him to the bathroom to claim it first. Dressing as quickly as she could with all the soreness that still burdened her body she wrapped her hair up in the towel like a turban and exited the room, letting all the built up steam escape into the hallway.

The flip flops clicked the entire way down the hall to the room she and Harry had chosen to inhabit while they were there. At first they were going to each take their own rooms. Then the boy wizard had decided it might be safer to stay in one just in case they needed to make a quick exit. Pulling her hair out of the towel Rachel combed through it before deciding that she didn't feel like doing it, and just let turn wavy with air drying. Over her shoulder in the mirror she caught sight of the bed, calling her to come a lay down for a bit. And who was she to tell it no?

With a content sigh Rachel performed a perfect swan dive onto the bed causing a mushroom cloud of dust to erupt in the air which headed straight into her mouth, nose, and eyes. Coughing violently as she tried to dislodge the particles that now gripped onto the lining of her throat and lungs, Rachel sat up rubbing at her eyes and nose_._

_ I survive two run ins with Voldemort, a broom accident, death eaters, a stabbing, and I almost die from a dirty bed_, she thought still hacking up a lung_, seriously where's the glory in that!_

"You okay in there?" Harry's voice came faintly from the closed door across the hall.

"Yeah," she wheezed wiping her watering eyes, "but I think this house is trying to kill me! First with the little creepy house elf and now the furniture, I think my odds were better off out there!'

Harry's laugh rang out loudly which caused her to break into laughter as well, it always happened that way. When he was truly laughing and enjoying himself Rachel found his laughter to be completely contagious, more so than anyone she had ever met before. "Glad to see you're so concerned for my wellbeing!" she called as the air finally was flowing normally into her lungs.

"Oh yeah, that's quite obvious that I don't care what happens to you at all," he winced trying to tend to the gash on his head he couldn't see.

"Yeah, well first thing I'm doing after I look at your head if disinfecting this whole place before I get a disease," she laughed patting the pillow to send smoke signals into the air.

"I could always have Kreatcher do it for you, I mean that is his job," Harry suggested bouncing on one leg as he attempted to pull his jeans on.

Before Rachel could answer her mouth unexpectedly went dry as felt the air grow strangely heavy. At first she thought that she had just inhaled too much dust, but when Harry emerged from the bathroom only dressed from the waist down she knew that he felt it too. At that moment she realized that she was not the only one that took a beating the previous night. Harry's entire midsection appeared to be one huge blue and purple bruise covered in so many scratches she couldn't count them all.

Raising a finger to his lips he tiptoed in his bare feet toward the stairs, leaving the muggle in the bedroom with her head throbbing. This feeling was strangely familiar, the nausea, the pounding in her temples, then it hit her like a bolt of lightning . . . danger's coming. She had felt this way in the Forbidden Forest the night she had lost Beth, and the afternoon on the path as she was trying to get Hermione to safety.

Cursing herself for letting Harry go off on his own, she removed her noisy footwear to slip some on socks instead. Standing Rachel tried her best to get ahold of her uncooperative wobbly legs that made walking a very difficult task. Eventually she managed to enter the hallway, maybe a minute, after he had, and she was surprised to find it was empty.

"Harry?" she whispered sharply gripping onto the wall for some sort of support, "Harry!" her voice hissed as she scanned up and down the strangely quiet hall.

With each room that she passed, she paused to glance inside in hopes of finding her friend, but each lay empty except for the various pieces of furniture that inhabited them. Where had he gone to in the short head start he had gotten on her? Reaching the banister Rachel peered down at the floor below searching for the danger she felt throughout her body. The hallway she has spent the night in appeared exactly as the pair had left a few hours ago.

With a death grip on the banister that caused her knuckles to turn white, Rachel descended the stairs. As quiet and stealthy as she was trying to be the staircase took it upon themselves to announce every step she took instead. Leaping over the tiny pile of glass that still sat at the bottom of the stairs, she skidded in her socks upon her "graceful" landing.

Bumping into the wall on the opposite side of the corridor she felt her head suddenly stop hurting. Sweat began to bead on her forehead, her symptoms disappearing unexpectedly was never a good sign. Normally this signaled her that who or whatever was hunting her had arrived, and soon would be making its presence known. Everything appeared to be normal inside the house, but Rachel had learned early on in the magical world that nothing appeared to be what it seemed.

Turning back around to continue her way back up the stairs to the search the above floors for her ally, something caught the attention of the soul piercer. Voices, at least three of them, could be heard muttering outside the front door, and from the volume of the talking they sounded close. Daring not to breath too loudly she turned to face the front door, and before she could change her mind she began to inch toward the solid wooden structure. Reaching the door Rachel's mind was reeling, how had they been discovered?

Heart pounding against her ribcage she peered out the peephole near the center of the door. Through the dirty cracked glass she could make out the three distinct figured clothed in black robes standing just off the landing steps. The group stood huddled together muttering about things Rachel could not make out, except the occasional word: Potter, soul piercer, the dark lord, capture, and kill came up the most throughout their conversation.

_What are they waiting for_; she thought her throat tightening in terror.

She knew she didn't stand a chance if they decided to turn and kick in the door, but the anxiety of watching them plot just yards from where she was, was far much worse.

Being so focused on the death eaters at her door, Rachel didn't even hear the padded footsteps approaching her from behind. Arms were around her in a flash, and suddenly the girl found her mouth covered before the scream had time to form.

"Shh," Harry hissed in her ear, instantly erasing her urge to start punching and ask questions later.

Releasing her from his bear hug Harry crept up to the door, and took a quick glance of his own out the peephole.

"Why aren't they attacking?" Rachel barely breathed, "They're just fucking standing there!"

"They don't know the house is here," Harry whispered back keeping his eye on the band of men.

Completely dumbfounded by his statement Rachel had to pause to digest what he had said. "Um Harry, I think that blow to your head might have caused some brain damage. It's a house, how can they not know it's there?!" she whispered sharply, nearly at her normal volume.

As quietly and briefly as he could Harry explained the magic that hid the order's headquarters, and only if you are told the exact location would number twelve Grimmauld Place make itself known to you. Breathing a sigh of relief Rachel pressed her ear against the door trying to hear what exactly they were planning. Unfortunately all she could hear was the blood coursing through the veins in her ear.

"Damn can't hear anything," she cursed under her breath, "What are they doing, Harry?"

"Nothing," he muttered his emerald eye still pressed against the glass, "but I think we are safe for now."

Leaning back on her heels Rachel laughed nervously, "Somehow that doesn't really comfort me."

A few more tense minutes ticked by agonizingly slow before Harry pulled away from the door. "They've gone," he smiled his voice slightly shaking from fear, "but they'll be back no doubt about that. After all they know the order's headquarters is in the area."

"Super," Rachel sighed, so much for her not having to worry about whether or not they were safe. But then a thought dawned on her, if the death eaters were so occupied with finding them, the other would undoubtedly be left alone. A warm feeling of comfort filled the muggle, as she let a smile cross her face as she looked at Harry. Raising an eyebrow he joined her with a suspicious smile.

"What?" he laughed as Rachel threw an arm around his bare torso.

"Nothing, now let's go take care of that head of yours," she said half leading him back toward the stairs and half leaning on him; her body was still recovering from the soul piercer part of her reactions to danger. "I promise, I won't hurt you."

Emitting an evil laugh which caused Harry to clamp a hand over the back of his head, Rachel applied a quick hug. The pair had just reached the bottom of the stairs when several loud cracks sounded in the dining room at the end of the hall. Rachel knew that sound, someone had just apperated into the house. Grabbing her by the shoulders, Harry shoved her across the hallway. Before she could argue she found herself shut inside a dark cramp closet with a half-naked boy who lived pressed up against her. The awkwardness of the situation was only diminished by the terror she could see in Harry's normally calm eyes, which caused frightened tears to form in her eyes.

"I don't want to die," she whispered looking up at him.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he whispered leaning his forehead against hers, so that their eyes locked. "I won't let Hermione lose you again; I just wish I had my wand with me."

Even in the dimly lit closet Harry saw the color vacate Rachel's face. "You don't have your wand?" her voice broke with almost every word.

"Don't worry I have a plan," he said with a glint in his eyes that Rachel knew what he was thinking.

"I'll only follow it if it involves both of us getting out of here in one piece," Rachel responded, listening to the group of voices filter down the corridor.

"Listen, I'm not arguing with you about this. If I have to, I'm going to get you out of here first and then worry about me afterwards," he whispered sharply, instantly silencing her with his tone. "If I tell you to run, you head toward the door and run as far and as fast as you can. Don't stop until you can't run anymore and only then phone Hermione, if you tell her where you are at, she will be able to apperate to you in a flash."

"As much as I would love to be with her, Harry, I won't leave you. If we are going to be attacked I'm standing beside you magic or no magic," she said defiantly as the voices began to grow louder as the group made their way out of the dining room. "I'll distract them long enough for you to go get your wand if I have to."

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," he said setting his jaw as the footsteps stopped just outside the closet.

Every muscle in both their bodies had gone rigid in anticipation of having to react quickly, if they were going to have to fight they weren't going to give in that easily. Holding her breath Rachel closed her eyes, and said a silent prayer to keep the pair of them safe from harm from the mysterious group just outside the door. Just at the point of passing out from lack of oxygen a familiar voice caused her to release her breath.

"So we know that Harry left two nights ago and there has been no sighting of him since then," the voice of Arthur Weasley sounded in the hallway which caused Harry to relax his stance, and almost begin laughing, "Both Ron and Hermione have written to him as well as Rachel several times over the past few days and there has been no response. This leads me to believe they are together, and they might have even planned this whole thing, but the real question is why?"

"We all know that Harry would never just take off like this if unless he had good reason to do so," Lupin's voice joined the Weasley father, "plus the fact that Rachel has vanished as well, means that perhaps she was the reason for it. I think she might have been in some sort of danger, You-Know-Who must have found out that she was still alive."

"But if she was in danger, why didn't he just bring her here? He knows that none of us would let anything happen to her," Tonks said which caused a mutter from the others who voices they could not tell apart.

"Sounds like the whole order is out looking for us," Harry whispered his warm breath tickling Rachel's ear.

"He knew that if he brought her here, he would be bringing the attention of You-Know-Who here as well. Not only would be hunting Harry but he would be hunting Rachel as well, they wanted to keep us out of harm's way," a voice Rachel did not recognized chimed in, which caused her to look up at Harry for clarification.

"Bill," he whispered directly in her ear. "Ron's eldest brother."

"Still I promised your siblings, Hermione, as well as your mother I would bring them home safety, and I intend not to break my promise," Arthur said sternly in a tone Rachel had heard her own father use when he meant business.

_Hermione must have gone to the Burrow after I didn't show up yesterday_, Rachel thought hearing Mr. Weasley include her girlfriend in his list; _I should have suspected that was going to happen. _

"How _are_ the kids holding up?" Tonks asked the question that both Rachel and Harry were wondering, but didn't really want to know the answer.

Silence filled the air momentarily as the group all turned to face Arthur; they all knew that the two teens would be affected the worse by this disappearance. "Honestly, I think this has hit them harder than we could have ever predicted. Molly said Ron and Hermione sat up all night just waiting for news from me, staring off into space. They all look like zombies, ready to break at any moment," Arthur sighed thinking about everyone that was counting on him back home.

A lump formed in Rachel's throat at the thought of the other's worrying about them so much so that they were forgoing sleep. Harry's eyes met her as the guilt was also hitting him in the gut like a quick punch. They knew that the others would be concerned but the way Mr. Weasely was describing them it sounded like their disappearing act had almost destroyed them. "What have we done?" she whispered causing Harry to close his eyes in shame.

"Of course, Hermione is probably the worse out of the three… it's like she lost her all over again. I don't think she can take having Rachel ripped from her life again," Arthur added a certain sadness quite apparent in his voice, "we have to find them, I don't feel like I can face them all again unless I have Rachel and Harry at my side, especially her. Nobody should have to lose the person they love once in a lifetime… let alone twice in one year."

His words were like stones that collected in her stomach which caused it to plummet to her feet. _I'm keeping her safe, I'm keeping her safe_, she thought as tears began to fall trying to keep herself together, _who am I kidding, I'm killing her_.

It only took a quick glance at Rachel to tell that she was fighting a losing battle of heavy sobs, and Harry knew if she lost it, she would blow their cover. Even though it was cramped inside the cupboard Harry managed to quietly wrap a comforting arm around her, and allowed her to bury her face in his bare chest.

"Well enough chit chat, we need to start searching," Arthur said taking charge of the band of people, "Bill and Fluer will head to Little Whining to search the surrounding area, Fred and George will go to Diagon Alley, Remus and Tonks will be going to Hogsmeade, Kingsely will go to the ministry to see if there have been any sightings of Harry, and I will head to America to check up on Rachel's household. Meet back up in the Burrow at the end of the day, hopefully with them."

The sound of the entire order apperating at once was almost deafening, and in its wake left the manor eerily quiet. Inside the closet the soul piercer wept while the young wizard held her closely, the pair of them oblivious to the fact that they were once again alone in the house.

"What was I thinking just leaving her like this, Harry? I'm a fucking horrible person," Rachel cried the guilt of once again hurting Hermione pressing on her heart like a vice, " I promised Hermione, I would never leave her again, and that is exactly what I did; I broke my promise."

"You're not a horrible person," Harry whispered giving her a tight hug, "you're a wonderful person who loves and cares about her very much. So much so that you risked everything before to keep her safe and you are doing it again. If we are found now at least we know that both of them are out of harm's way."

Rachel's tears stopped upon catching the wording of his last sentence_. He didn't say they all would be safe, he said both of them are safe_, she thought knowing that secretly he was going through the same pain she was experiencing. "You still love her don't you?" Rachel whispered feeling Harry's heartbeat increase at her question.

Even in the dark she saw the color race to his cheeks at the thought of the red haired girl he was keeping safe. As Rachel's sobbing died down, Harry noticed that the voices outside had disappeared, signaling it was safe to exit the cupboard. Clearing his throat, she looked up at him; she had forgotten that she was holding on tightly to her friend with no shirt on, and upon realizing it her cheeks instantly flushed. Stepping back she released Harry, it was the first time ever Rachel felt awkward embracing him. She always thought of him as a brother, and having him hold her like that in such a vulnerable state caused her to feel uncomfortable knowing it should have been Ginny. Instead it was her and it was because of her that he was here in the closet miles and miles away from the person he loved. Solemnly they exited out into the hallway and stood were their search party had stood just moments ago.

Silently, Rachel turned and faced the front door to the house. Outside that door was the rest of the world was still carrying on full of dangers: death eaters, Voldemort, and various other things that went bump in the night. Everyone outside these four walls would be at the mercy of all the evils that were currently running rampant, while she and Harry simply hid. The more that she thought about it the more she realized how stupid she was for thinking that everyone they cared about would be out of harm's way if she and Harry went into hiding; the death eaters still knew where the Burrow was located, and could go after everyone at any given moment. So not only was Hermione was still in danger but she was also completely heartbroken due to their disappearance, and this thought caused Rachel's stomach to churn.

Hot tears burned her eyes upon realizing a terrifying thought, Voldemort knew about her and Hermione's relationship… he could use her to draw them both out.

_I need to keep her away from him at all costs_, she thought and for a brief moment she formulated a crazy plan.

What was stopping her from just running out that door, screaming down the street, "HERE I AM, COME GET ME YOU BASTARDS!" and having them chase her over the country so that the others would safe by her distraction? The insanely suicidal thought dissipated when one of the reasons for not sacrificing herself to the darkness in the universe, placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You okay?"

The images of not only Harry, but Hermione, her parents, Ron and the rest of the Weasleys all mourning her if she perished after trying to divert You-Know-Who from the others filled her head. Then another thought crossed her mind, she had promised her mother and father that she would come back to them; she had already broken her promise to Hermione and she intended not to break another.

"No," she said turning back from that door a slight paleness to her skin, "Who were we kidding Harry thinking that we were keeping them safe by running away? He knows where they are and he can use them against us, especially Hermione. Cause not only she _your_ best friend she is _my_ girlfriend, and he knows that I will sacrifice myself to keep her safe. Hell he's seen me do it before! I want to go get her, and bring her back here so he doesn't get the opportunity to use her like a pawn. "

"Are you completely mental? It's not safe for either of us to just show up in the Burrow, they are tracking us very heavily right now," Harry stated gripping both her shoulders and staring into her blue eyes. "You saw it yourself they are only a few steps behind us, and to go grab her right now would be suicide. And what about Ron and Ginny, do we just leave them behind? You know damn well that he could use them as well to lore us out! "

Sighing Rachel placed her face in her hands, she hated that once again that Harry had a valid point. "I don't know, Harry, I just don't know anymore," she groaned feeling her head begin to start to pound, "Look I'm going to go lay down. Either think of a way we can go get her or at least warn the others or… I'm going to pick her up myself, even if I have to walk to the Burrow from here. I'm not putting her in anymore danger because that son of a bitch wants his pet back. Cause not to sound insensitive or anything but she is my main concern right now."

Releasing her shoulder's Harry allowed her to walk past him and up the stairs to their room. Now that he was alone he realized he felt the same guilt about Ginny that Rachel was feeling about Hermione, and she did have a valid point. He couldn't blame her at all for focusing solely on her girlfriend's safety, because deep down he knew he would be trying to do the same for Ginny. Huffing he leaned against the wall and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he looked up at the level Rachel had just retreated to; her words sticking in his mind.

_I have to figure something out_; he thought closing his eyes as her heard her sobs waft down the stairwell_, she's right we can't let him use them like pawns._

It was like a light bulb went off for the young wizard at Rachel's phrase from before. He knew a way that they can warn them until it was safe to go collect their friends. In order to put his plan into action though he needed a key element, and he knew that there had to be one in the house that his godfather grew up in. Turning he took the steps two by two as he passed the second floor and headed higher up until he ran out of stairs to the floor where he knew Sirius' old room was located. If there wasn't one in there Harry would be very surprised, but in the off chance that happened he would have to send Kreacher out to retrieve one. Pushing open the door that hadn't been opened in years, Harry squinted through the dim sunlight that streamed in through the dusty moth eaten velvet curtains.

Crossing the room Harry approached the dusty bookcase to do a quick search, and it didn't take long to find the wooden box tucked away on the topmost shelf. Standing on tip toes, Harry stretched until his fingertips brushed the box gently tipping it off the shelf and into his waiting hand. Blowing the dust off the dark stained mahogany box and cracking it open, Harry smiled upon seeing that all the pieces appeared to be accounted for inside. Picking up the faded white pawn piece he rolled it in his fingers, knowing that at one point in its past this piece would have been touched by his father in a battle against his godfather. Now this piece and its fellow brethren would hopefully be used to send a warning to three teens hundreds of miles away; that is if Harry Potter can pull off a spell he has never attempted before.


	11. Chapter 11: Unexpected Visitors

**Chapter 11: Unexpected Visitors**

Barely breaking the threshold of the bedroom Rachel was reduced to a blubbering mess when all the tears that started to form downstairs finally broke loose. The sobs that ripped through her body were some of the hardest she had experienced in a long time, and caused her to have to prop herself against the wall to stay upright. As her mind became a jumbled mess of various dangerous plans, each more outlandish than the other, of how to keep Hermione safe. Every one ended with Hermione, Harry, or herself dead. Somehow she managed to stumble to the bed.

_I just need time to think,_ she thought wiping her eyes as she buried her face in the dusty pillow. At that point she didn't care that her face could be covered in soot, all she wanted was some time alone, _I know I can think of a way to get her out of there safely_.

Huffing loudly Rachel pulled the blanket back on the bed and climbed underneath to submerge herself in total darkness, hoping the blackness would prevent the migraine she felt forming behind her eyes from all the stress. Just an hour of silence that's all she needed then she would be okay to go back out. She would feel like a new person who could face any obstacle that would be thrown at her. Yes all she needed was a few hours of peace and quiet. . .

_Have you completely lost your mind?! _

"No!"Rachel screamed as she removed the blanket that she had placed over her head only seconds before to escape the world for a while. All she wanted was a few uninterrupted hours to think of a solution to the problem that had cropped up in the past ten minutes. That didn't last long as the familiar voice filtered through the covers. "No, no, no! Not now! You need to leave . . . NOW!"

Yanking the blankets away she sat up and for the first time was genuinely angry to be staring into the face of her lost girlfriend. Beth Stillwater, Rachel's first friend and love, who was tragically taken by Voldemort almost a year ago, sat on the desk by the window, looking rather agitated.

_I am not going anywhere, since you obviously need a fricking babysitter to watch you at all times. So let's recap what is going on shall we? The most evil wizard in the entire history of existence is hunting you and Harry and instead of trying to keep yourself safe you want to go running off to the Burrow. Since when did you become such an irresponsible stupid ass? If I wasn't a ghost I would come over there and kick your fucking ass for being such a moron for even suggesting what you just did!_

"Why are you yelling at me?" Rachel groaned letting her eyes creak open, "please go away. I've got a splitting headache, and you screaming at me like a banshee is not helping."

_I'm not screaming, _Beth's voice went down in volume as she seemed to calm down after her burst of venting; _I'm just speaking loudly enough so that you can't ignore me. I know you have the tendency to do that to me._

Lying there in silence Rachel eventually picked her head back up to look across the room, meeting Beth's eyes. "Oh I'm sorry were you speaking to me?" she sneered and pulled the blanket back over her head but not before catching Beth glaring at her, "what? You used to love my award winning personality? But seriously, Beth please just leave me alone, come back later, or leave a message with my secretary and she will give you a more convenient time for you to come back and lecture me."

_This isn't some damn joke Rachel; this could mean the difference between you living and you dying way before you are supposed to, and I already told you that I don't want you on the other side yet… no matter how much I miss you._

Silently, she jumped down off the desk, strolled over to the bed, and with one solid jerk the blanket ripped it straight off the bed. Having the blanket yanked off her not only caused Rachel's hair to stick straight up but also her level of annoyance to shot straight through the roof.

"Beth, I love you but. . .IF YOU DON'T GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW I'M GOING TO KILL MYSELF JUST SO I CAN COME TO THE OTHER SIDE AND CHOKE YOU!" Rachel screeched her voice raising an octave with each word.

The look upon Beth's face was as if someone had slapped her. She had seen Rachel get upset multiple times over the course of their lives together, but never before had she seen her get this escalated. For a split second the spirit thought about just melting away and leaving her hysterical friend to the alone time she was yelling about. Honestly the only thing that prevented from her leaving at that moment was knowing the girl was speaking simply out of fear and stress over everything that was currently going on. Plus she needed to be sure that she got her point across to her love. After all she hadn't sacrificed herself to let Rachel simply hand herself over to the death a few months later.

_Don't you think that is quite a violent threat in order to get some peace and quiet? Perhaps if you just ask her nicely she will leave you be._

Turning towards the window Rachel sighed as she saw her newest visitor to join her in the room. Leaning against the wall was the specter that had just visited her a few hours ago with more "wonderful" news.

"Really?" she asked causing Dumbledore to smile, "it's bad enough that she's here acting like my mother, but now you too? Awesome, did you discover some more events about what's going to happen to me that you won't share but instead give me dark clues that cause me to go into panic attacks? "

_Told you she's cranky when you interrupt her during a nap_, the forever seventeen year old female said with a smile as she turned toward Dumbledore_, learned that lesson the hard way. Did you know that when we were like seven she slept over my house and when my mom told me to wake her up in the morning she bit me?! I still have a scar on my arm from her, wanna see it,_ she added and began to roll up the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

"Oh you do not!" Rachel huffed rolling over while clamping a pillow down over her head hoping to drown them out, "jeez Beth, living or not you're still such a fuckin' drama queen!"

_I now see what you mean_; Dumbledore added which caused Rachel to emit a growl of frustration.

All she wanted to do was lay down to clear her head but instead she was being bothered like Scrooge on Christmas Eve. She had grown used to her spirit visitors over the past few months but this was the first time she had been ambushed by both at once. "If I would have known that you both would be showing up because of my crazy threats I never would have made them," she sighed rubbing her swollen eyes from her period of crying earlier.

_You do realize that if you went to the Burrow without Harry's protection you wouldn't make it more than a few steps outside this door,_ Dumbledore said knowing that is not what Rachel wanted to hear, _you two need to stay together and stay here until you get your sign that it is time to leave. For if you leave before then things will not fall into place as they are foretold, and your very future will be altered._

"My sign to leave? My future will be altered?" Rachel asked as she flipped over removing the pillow from her head, "I don't ever remember you talking in riddles like this when you were alive, Professor."

Smiling the old man remained by the window as Beth wandered about the room_._ She often paced when she was thinking._ I am not here to tell you when or what you are to do, I am here simply to guide you and prevent you from making reckless choices like the one you were about to make._

Sighing heavily Rachel flopped back down on the bed closing her eyes. She wished she never would have let her emotions get the best of her downstairs and ran her mouth. "All I meant is that I'm not letting her life be put in danger because Voldemort is after me," she groaned draping an arm across her closed eyes.

_ Hermione can take care of herself_, Beth almost scolded as she sat down on the edge of the bed a tone that Rachel hated, _she was fighting death eaters and Voldemort long before you showed up in her life._

"I am well aware of that, Beth," she snapped kicking at the apparition at the edge of the bed, something she had done several times before when Rachel got annoyed with Beth's know it all side. Her foot felt like it had plunged into a vat of ice water as it passed straight through Beth's chest, causing a chill to run straight up the girl's spine.

_Well you should start to trust that she can actually protect herself, after all she does have magic on her side unlike you_, Beth laughed as Rachel almost pouted like a two year kid as she sat up and crossed her arms in front of her chest, _and if you remember correctly_ _the last time you tried to be her savior you ended up with a permanent reminder of that night._

"As hard as it is for you to believe my dear, I knew what I was doing that night," Rachel hissed through gritted teeth. She was getting angry that people kept bringing that night up and scolding her for the events that had occurred "I knew that I might have to sacrifice myself to keep her safe. You even _told_ me that in the end I would be the one protecting her! So why are you now sitting there telling me to just let her fend for herself?"

_That's not what I'm saying at all, and_ _when I told you that I didn't mean for you to take a knife in the gut, babe_, Beth said knowing that her nagging had upset her, _I know you want to be a hero, especially hers, but I think she would rather have you hidden away then always running to her rescue. I know I would if I was her. _ _And if you keep jumping in without thinking you will be spending the rest of forever with me instead of with her._

"I know," she whispered causing Beth to instantly stop talking at hearing her agree with her, "You think I would have learned after Voldemort killed you? If I wouldn't have tried to be a hero that night in the forest maybe I wouldn't have lost you," Rachel choked as an unexpected wave of emotion hit out of nowhere. Nearly a year had passed and still deep down she felt responsible for Beth's sudden death. "We both could have gotten out of there alive; maybe even all of them could have escaped if I wouldn't have acted like an idiot and tried to run to you."

_You can't keep thinking that Rach_, she sighed, _we've been over this countless times before. It wasn't meant to be or else I would have survived as well. You were meant to be the sole survivor of that attack and to carry on with Hermione, not me, by your side. I'll admit at first I was jealous, even angry, that I didn't get to live out my life especially with you. But the more that I have watched you two since then I realized everything was how it should be, you two were the ones meant to be, not us._

"Well then why are you giving me such a hard time about wanting to go get her?" she snapped, just wishing the pair would disappear and she could get a few moments of rest. "You know I'm going to do what I want to do no matter what you tell me, so why are you trying to stop me when you should be helping me think of ways to do it so I don't die?"

Opening her mouth, Rachel could tell Beth wanted to blurt something out. A statement that she knew would cause her to stay put and not run off into the unknown, but a hand on her shoulder from Dumbledore caused her to remain silent. Shifting off the bed she joined the man by the window as the two exchanged some quiet words. Turning back toward her, Beth looked sadly at the person she has spent most of her life loving, Rachel swore she saw traces of tears in her eyes.

_Look, you aren't meant to be the hero in this chapter of your story, so stop trying to be one or else you are going to get yourself killed. Don't be stupid because you are going to not only erase your future but you will completely destroy Hermione's, if you don't believe me go ahead and keep trying to save the world and see what happens. But if there is even that little doubt, that little voice that tells you that I might be right and you don't want to risk everything just let the other's be the heroes that they were meant to be for once. There is nothing wrong with being the one who needs to be saved, Rachel. _

Beth's words struck her heart, as Rachel's anger at all her yelling from earlier melted away, but before she could say another word she watched as her love's form went transparent and she suddenly vanished from view. Deep down she knew Beth's words had been true and that she only meant the best in what she said, but she had been so angry about everything she didn't see that. Glancing over at Dumbledore she tried to repress the tightness in her chest at the thought of Beth being upset with her and leaving before she could apologize.

"I'm getting enough mysterious messages from you, can you please not have her delivering them to me as well?" she asked as she slumped back on the bed and closed her eyes, hoping he would get the hint and follow after Beth. After a few moments with her eyes remained tightly closed, Rachel could still sense a presence in the room.

_You know that even in death she would do anything to keep you safe from harm? It takes a lot for her not to intervene and tell you exactly what is at stake if something happens to you. Perhaps you should listen to her Rachel, she had never led you astray, before has she?_

"No," she sighed not opening her eyes to keep the tears that formed from escaping, "no she never did, and I think that she will continue to do so, but honestly professor I can't sit here and leave Hermione's fate to chance."

_How do you know that chance doesn't know exactly what to do to help her fate stay on track, and all this is what needs to happen in order for her as well as your fate to end up where it is meant to?_

Rachel sat up and looked at the old man with a puzzled look, before her eye gave a quick twitch causing him to laugh. "I think I might have just had a stroke," she said rubbing her temples and lying back down. "But I will admit, as much as I hate to do so, you both are right, and I will listen. I'm not going anywhere until further notice, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to try to contact her!"

_I never instructed you not to try and warn her, by all means reach out to Hermione and let her know that you and Harry are in fact safe. I'm sure that will be a great weight lifted off her heart. I just don't want you rushing and possibly severely altering your future as well as theirs._

_Theirs_, she thought looking back over at the slowly fading man, _oh he is not leaving me with another riddle_.

"Who is they?" she asked quickly trying to get an answer before he disappeared like the Cheshire cat did to Alice.

_Some you already know, but the rest_ _you will just have to wait to meet;_ a playful tone to his voice that filled the room as his form vanished right before her eyes.

"Sometimes I think he tortures me on purpose," groaned Rachel as she lay back down on the bed trying to relax her brain into thinking of a plan that would allow her to remain here while getting a message to the Burrow. Owls were out, after all they could easily be tracked and captured, and she was almost positive that the Weasleys did not own a telephone so they would not be phoning the family. Every idea she came with seemed brilliant until she came up with a way that it could be easily foiled, and after about twenty minutes of this she decided she wasn't getting anywhere.

"Rachel, you awake?"

The familiar voice of Harry floated up from downstairs and penetrated through the haze. Opening her eyes after her epic failure of a brainstorming session she did not feel rested in the least bit, but then again she knew that she probably wouldn't get proper rest until Hermione was beside her again. Slinging her legs over the side of the bed she made her way out into the hallway, to join her companion down on the first floor. Finding him was easy enough as there was only three doors to choose from: the front door, the closet, and then the open one that led to the dining room were the order of the phoenix held all their meetings. 

Eyes adjusting to the dimly lit room Rachel was relieved to see that in her absence Harry had finished getting dressed." Hope you had a better time thinking up some way to get a message to them, than I did," she yawned rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she entered the room to find Harry, setting up a chess game on a solid wooden chessboard on the large dining table. Here she was trying to save her friends and he was getting ready to play chess with her! "Seriously!? I've been up there wracking my brain and you are down here playing games!"

Looking up from the board he smiled at her. Harry knew that he was going to get that reaction when she first came into the room. Snatching a pawn off the board he tossed it at Rachel, who easily caught it with one hand. "What you are holding in your hand is going to help us warn the others," he stated brightly as he watched Rachel turn the piece over in her hands, trying to figure out what he possibly could be talking about.

"Head injury acting up again, Harry?" she smirked bringing the pawn up to eye level to inspect it more carefully, which only helped confirm that this was just a regular pawn. "This is a chess pawn, nothing more, so unless you can make this thing talk or do a jig, all it will do is help us pass the hours here."

"But that's precisely what I intent to do," he smiled as he grabbed the knight from its home on the board.

Blinking several times Rachel let Harry's sentence bounce around in her still tired brain. "Come again there sparky?" she asked screwing up her face like a puppy hearing a strange noise for a first time.

"It's quite simple when you think about it, I've thought about all the usual ways we could try to contact them, you know owls, fireplaces, letters, but every single one of them I could think of an easy way it could be intercepted. So I thought maybe if we send something that doesn't look like a message we might have a better shot of it actually getting to them. Now, if I do this correctly we should be able to record a message to some of the pieces and will just send the whole thing to the Burrow. Once there, the board will know when it is safe to play the message that we have recorded," he beamed obviously proud of himself for coming up with the plan, "in theory that is."

"That is absolutely . . . genius," Rachel cried joining his grin, which caused him to break into laughter, "seriously, I think you could defiantly give Hermione a run for her money if you wanted to, Harry. But, I hate to be a Debbie Downer but what about if somehow a death eater got their hands on this, wouldn't it be leading them straight to us?"

"I thought of that," he replied taking a few steps toward Rachel, knight in one hand, wand in the other. "If it's intercepted by the death eaters the pieces with the messages engrained in them will simply disintegrate into dust taking out message with them. Annnnd..." Harry continued before Rachel could ask the question he could see formulating in her mind, "the way that it will know it has safety reached the Burrow is truly brilliant if I do say so myself."

"You're so modest, Mr. Potter," Rachel teased causing a cheeky grin to spread across his face. "And what is this truly brilliant trigger for the message going to be?"

"It will be enchanted to listen for a particular phrase that is bound to be said at least some point at the burrow. If we can make it be something that is said almost daily then we don't have to worry about the message not getting played," Harry said scratching his head with the tip of his wand, "I just need help thinking of what that could be."

Rachel fell silent as she began to ponder the perfect phrase that could be uttered at least once a day in the burrow. At first her and Harry tossed various phrases back and forth trying to find the perfect one. It had to be unique but not so unique that it might be a fluke that it is ever said, at one point she even suggested that perhaps it should just be either her's or Harry's name. That was quickly dismissed because let's face it a death eater, especially one who's duty it was to track down the pair, would more likely than not say their names at least once. If they were to think of a phrase unique to the Burrow they would have to narrow it down to its inhabitants, especially the ones that the message was for, Ron and Hermione.

Closing her eyes Rachel tried to recall a typical day with the pair, and it only took a minute before she had the answer that they'd been searching for. A giggle slipped from her mouth breaking Harry's focus as he turned to laughing soul piercer.

"It's so obvious," she cackled can't believing it had taken her this long to come up with it, "What happens at least once a day between those two?" She paused waiting to see if Harry was going to catch on, but the blank look on his face caused her to continue. "They argue, Harry! Seriously, try and think of a day that you don't remember Hermione and Ron going at each other in the past seven years."

Harry had never really thought about it like that, but what she was suggesting was true. His two best friends' arguments had become such a daily occurrence he didn't even seem to notice them anymore. Also the fact that they never lasted that long made them easily forgettable.

"Honestly Ronald!" Rachel cried imitating Hermione's tone when she scolded Ron perfectly, causing Harry to chuckle, "she says it every single time they fight."

Breaking into laughter, Harry slapped his forehead where his famous scar lay. "Of course! It's such an obvious choice I can't believe we didn't think of it right away," he said, imaging the inevitable fight that would bring about the surprise message from the missing pair. In a flash he pictured them, at each other's throats shouting, then the look of total surprise as his and Rachel's voices suddenly floating up from the chessboard, and instantly causing the hostility between them disappear.

Now that they had their trigger phrase Harry could begin the very complicate process to not only give the pieces a voice, but a face as well. Raising a wand he pointed it at Rachel, who instinctively closed her eyes, and then at himself, muttering under his breath. At first nothing happened and for the first time ever she doubted Harry's ability to cast a spell, but suddenly a breeze picked up around her. "You might feel a slight burning sensation," he stated causing her eyes to fly open and to be nearly blinded by the bright purple light that had surrounded them.

Harry hadn't been lying when he said about it burning, but what he failed to mention was the intensity of the fire. Rachel's face felt like it had been plunged into boiling water that also seeped into her mouth and down her throat. Gasping she attempted to put out the flames that ignited around her vocal chords with bursts of cool air. Moments later the burn subsided, leaving her face and throat tingling. Opening her eyes she looked at Harry who was trying to dislodge the sting left in his throat with coughs of his own.

"Right," he wheezed, stuffing his wand in his back pocket, "that should do it."

Wiping the remnants of the tears that clung to the corners of her eyes, she strolled up to the board, figuring that she would need to be near it in order for her voice to be picked up. "What do I have to do?" she asked placing the pawn she had been holding back in its rightful place. "Now do I focus on one piece to record my voice or. . ."

"No, no, don't worry about that," Harry said joining her, and added his knight to the board. "Just talk like you are leaving a message on the answering machine, it's already recording."

Butterflies took flight in her stomach as everything she wanted to say to Hermione flooded her mind. She wanted to tell her how much she missed her, that she loved her, and how very sorry she was for once again leaving her without any explanation. But first things first they had a very important message to pass to their friends, before she could ramble on about her feelings. Leaning toward the board she decided to imprint her voice on the queen, after all it is the only female piece in the set, and seemed fitting it should hold her vocal sound. Inhaling Rachel was about to begin speaking when she caught some movement on the board from the front row.

_What the hell_, she thought squinting at the pawn that she had just set down moment before. An audible gasp was uttered as she looked up at Harry, who was trying to hold in a laugh.

"Seriously dude?!" she cried as she watched the little pawn not only mimic her movement but her voice as well.


	12. Chapter 12: The Roles Are Reversed

**Chapter 12: The Roles Are Reversed**

Making sure to apperate in a location far enough from the house so they wouldn't be heard, but close enough that they could make a quick dash home, the trio arrived back in their home country. Breathing a sigh of relief to see Mrs. Weasley still inside and not out looking for them, Ron held the door open for the girls. Figuring the children needed some extra alone time, Mrs. Weasley let them be, but to be honest if they would have arrived five minutes later she would have gone out in search for them.

Silence fell over the teens as they had helped their elder prepare dinner for them, and for any sudden additions that would hopefully appear. But once again there were a lot of leftovers, and no new news about their friends. The Order met at the Burrow that night and discussed the next phase in their plan. They would begin to search all the surrounding areas until any clues are found. It was a quick in and out meeting as the apperated away almost as quickly as they had arrived.

After cleaning up from the barely touched meal, Mrs. Weasley excused herself to bed, and the teens took their usual spots for their all-night vigil. As hard as they would fight it sleep eventually would win, pulling them under, into a world of troubled dreams, and nightmares.

Another day had passed since the disappearance, and still they were no closer to finding their friends. Upon hearing the breathing of the siblings slow to the steady rhythm of sleep, Hermione removed the picture she had taken from Rachel's room from her pocket.

This picture and the soft red glow from around her neck were now a constant reminder of her girlfriend, and that she was making the right choice of what to do when Rachel was found. Her love for the muggle was so deep that Hermione knew that she would have to remove her girlfriend from the magical world until it was safe again. As much as it would hurt to do it, she decided in the room that afternoon she would be performing a memory charm on the soul piercer to forget all about her, in hopes of returning her to the carefree state in this photo. Then only after Voldemort was dead would she return her memory; she just hoped she wouldn't find someone else during that time. Hermione's plan would remain a secret as she knew that if the others found out they would surely try to talk her out of it.

Grasping the pendant, she stifled a sniffle, praying that the glow wasn't just residual energy from her slain lover. _No_, she scolded herself for thinking so negatively, _she's strong, she's with Harry and the pair of them will be found soon._

Closing her eyes and leaning her head back, she felt the energy in the room shift. Upon opening them she looked back down at the picture, to see Rachel had removed her arm from around the still frozen Beth. Staring at the Polaroid, Rachel's voice sounded, just as if she was standing in front of her.

_So who is the one not sleeping now, baby?_

Chuckling, Hermione shook her head, it was funny she hadn't realized that she had traded spots with the insomniac muggle. "How do you expect me to sleep, when I have no clue where you are?"

_You have to try, just like you used to beg me to do, _Rachel's voice soothed, as if the sheer sound of her a calm words would cause Hermione to instantly drop off.

"You know I can't do that," she choked hearing the worry tone in Rachel's voice.

Even though she was the one missing and in possible danger she was worried about her not sleeping, "not till you are home safely."

_Hermione, you are so tired you are delirious_, Rachel scolded, crossing her arms in front of her chest; _look at yourself, you are talking to an old picture of me, and… I'm answering you. You don't think that is a sign that you need some more sleep?_

"In case you have forgotten, pictures talk all the time here," she snapped causing Rachel to sigh and shake her head.

_Yeah but in case __**you**__ have forgotten my dear, you stole this from __**my**__ house. Which means it has absolutely no magic to it_, Rachel retorted, putting an end to Hermione's argument before it even got off the ground_. I know you are worried about me, but you need to take care of yourself. You know damn well that everything won't be easy once we are found; Voldemort will still be out there._

Her love's voice seemed to have a hypnotic pull on her, and soon she felt her eyelids grow heavy. As Rachel continued to soothe her off, Hermione lost the battle and drifted off. No sooner had her eyes closed then the sound of the preparation of breakfast began, causing her to jolt into a sitting position. In her hands she found the picture and for a brief moment Hermione questioned if perhaps dream Rachel was right… maybe she was slowly losing it.

Tucking the picture into the pocket of her sweatshirt, Hermione stood with a stretch. With a sideway glance she smiled upon seeing Ginny sleeping her head rest on her slumbering big brother's shoulder. Noticing the movement in the living room, Mrs. Weasley looked up from the pot she was feverishly stirring.

"Hermione, dear, I hate to ask you this but could you go fetch some fresh herbs out front. I can't leave this or else it will boil over."

"Of course."

Tiptoeing past the still sleeping Weasley siblings, Hermione made her way to the front door. The door did not complain as it swung open quietly. Shielding her eyes from the sun she walked out into the morning air still heavy with the smell of dew. The warmth of the sun's rays caused her to smile as she paused for a moment to soak them up. Something felt different about today to her. Perhaps is had been the fact that she had spoken to Rachel, even if it was only in dream form. Part of her wanted to believe that was a sign sent from above, to show her that Rachel was alive in well. But still the rational part of her brain stopped such childish thinking.

With a sigh she turned and busied herself picking the herbs that she had been sent to retrieve. When her task was completed she headed back to the front door when a noise stopped her. Staining against all the other birds' morning song, Hermione tried to figure out what and from where the noise sounded. It had most definitely been screech, but not that of an owl, it almost sounded like a steam whistle.

Placing the basket of herbs on the stoop Hermione wandered down the path in the direction she thought the strange bird call had come from. Upon reaching the gate she paused, thinking perhaps she was on a wild goose chase. After all it was summer, there were many birds in the area, why was this one's call special? That's when it sounded again and she spotted the source of the noise in the tree directly across from her.

On one of the lower branches sat a hawk, its red feathers a striking contrast to the shade of the leaves. Hermione was completely struck by the majesty of the bird that at first she didn't notice what it was doing there. Then she spotted it, a wrapped package was clutched in the bird's talons.

_How odd_, she thought gently opening the gate_; I've never seen a package come by hawk before._

Taking a few cautious steps toward the tree she stared up at the bird, its amber eyes locked on her. The very moment that the young witch reached the tree, the red tailed hawk let out another cry dropping the package into her hands. In one swift moment it took to the sky and streaked off into the distance with amazing speed. Watching the bird become a pin point in the sky, Hermione strolled back toward the Weasley home.

Finally the hypnotic beauty of the animal broke its hold on Hermione and she looked down at the package she was carrying. She hadn't been expecting a parcel and as far as she knew neither were anyone inside. Giving it a light shake she heard the contents rattle around inside. Walking right past the basket she entered the home staring at the package wrapped in plain brown paper.

Turning from the stove Mrs. Weasley watched Hermione walk into the kitchen staring at the box. "What do you have there, dear?" she asked stopping her cooking, it was apparent that what she was carrying almost had her in a trance.

"I don't know," Hermione barely whispered, for some reason she hadn't brought herself to opening it. It was if the very act of tearing the paper would cause whatever inside to vanish. "This was just delivered by a hawk… I didn't know mail came by hawks as well."

"Oh yes, but only the most urgent of cases. Hawks are more skittish than owls but if you need to get something there almost immediately they are the fastest means," Mrs. Weasley explained joining Hermione who had taken a seat at the table. "Who is it from?"

"I don't know," she said staring at the table like it was a rare creature.

"Well that's a lot of questions that need answers, perhaps you should open it?"

Mrs. Weasley and Hermione both jumped and turned to see both Ron and Ginny standing in the doorway. The pair had been woken up by one of the hawk's screeches, and had been listening to their mother and friend's conversation.

Joining the others at the table Ron and Ginny both inspected the box before handing back over to who it was delivered to. Hermione was shaking all over as she began to tear into the plain brown paper. Once the wrapping was removed she discovered its contents, a wooden box. The rich mahogany was polished and on the top of the lid bore the initials, S.B.

"What is it?"

"Looks like a chess set," Ron guessed; he would know seeing he was an avid player, "but who would send us a chess…"

At that moment something seemed to click in Hermione's mind and she quickly flicked the lid to the box open. Just as she thought inside were not only the chess pieces Ron had guessed but also an envelope. Without hesitation she tore the envelope open and pulled out a note written in familiar handwriting that caused her heart to leap.

**_ Don't be cross with us…-H _**

**_ Everything will be explained, I promise. ~R_**

Hermione began to giggle and looked up, her eyes glistening with tears of happiness. "They're…they're alive."


	13. Chapter 13: Not a Normal Chessboard

**Chapter 13: Not a Normal Chessboard**

Looking up as the chandelier shuttered following the slamming of a door overhead, Ginny knew instantly that they were at each other's throats once again. Sighing she placed her face into her palms; she would be spending another afternoon playing referee, a role she had taken on since the mysterious packaged had arrived almost two weeks ago. She couldn't blame the pair of them, especially Hermione, for being frustrated for not finding out why a chessboard had been sent to them, but they had begun to take it out on everyone, especially one another.

_I don't know how Harry does this_, she thought listening to the voices that were slowly on the rise filter down the stairs.

"Ginny dear," her mother said while finishing up the lunch dishes, "can you go see what they are carrying on about now?"

Without a word the only Weasley girl pushed back from the table and rose from her chair. "Can't I just let them kill one another," she muttered bitterly as she began to ascend the stairs. "It would make life around here a lot quieter."

Taking the multiple staircases as slowly as possible Ginny made her way to the floor that Ron's room was located. With each step she took the voices grew louder. By the time she has reached the landing she could hear their argument as if she was already in the room.

"I just don't think there is some message behind it…"

"There has to be, or else they wouldn't have sent it!" Hermione cried cutting off Ron's sentence, "it would have just been a letter _NOT_ a chessboard as well!"

Ginny groaned loudly placing her face in her hands. _Not this one again_, she thought as she continued to drag her feet toward her brother's room at the end of the hallway. Ever since the chessboard from the missing pair had shown up its all Hermione could focus on; convince that there had to be some hidden meaning.

The order had been summoned the instant that they realized who had sent the package. For the next few days no one was to touch the board, or even the letter, but a member of the order. Once they were positive that there was no dark magic at foot and the package was from Harry and Rachel they resumed their hunt. Everyone's spirits seemed to have been slightly rejuvenated now knowing it was still a search and rescue mission instead of a recovery one.

With the order barely appareated away the three adolescents decided that they were going to figure out why the chessboard had come to the burrow. Setting up the board in Ron's room they began to investigate it for themselves. For the next three days each took turns watching the board, as if they were waiting for it to magically spring to life. But by the time the sun was rising on the fourth day they realized that perhaps there was nothing special about the board. Ron was even convinced it was a joke from the pair, a way to pass the time until they returned. Hermione however was committed that the board has some meaning to it.

Now they knew Harry and Rachel were alive, everyone found sleeping to be slightly easier, except for one. There had been several nights that Ron would wake to find Hermione sitting at his desk, wand in hand, muttering to herself under her breath while staring at the middle stone pieces.

"I know there had to be a way to trigger something," she had stated one day after another unsuccessful night. "If I just think her or Harry I will be able to figure it out."

"It's just a bloody chessboard!" Ron snapped back as Ginny finally reached his door.

"They wouldn't of sent it if it wasn't important, and by hawk no less!"

Not even bothering to knock, knowing she wouldn't of been heard if she had, Ginny eased her brother's open door to a familiar scene. Ron was seated on the edge of his bed, his face in his hands, while Hermione stood over him arms crossed. Taking a seat by the cause of the argument Ginny decided to just let them ware themselves out going around in circles. The pair continued to feud with one another not even noticing that they were no longer alone in the room.

"I understand that," he sighed running his fingers through his red hair, "I'm just saying that if there was some hidden message behind this it would have done something by now."

"You don't know that to be true though!" Hermione almost scolded which caused Ron to tighten his grip on his hair.

"Why would they make us work for a message? I say that we wait for some other contact and just play the board like I'm sure they want us to do," he said trying to control his temper.

He knew that she was stressed and still desperate for some sort of contact from the pair, but she was starting to treat him like a child.

"Sometimes I swear you don't even care they are missing," Hermione hissed her low blow.

Wow, Ginny mouthed not believing what she had just heard. She knew it was going to happen and before she had a chance to even look up at her brother, he snapped.

"Are you serious?!" Ron finally exploded slamming his fist down on the mattress. "Just because I am not sitting up for hours talking to pawn piece I don't care that they are missing?! Just because I don't think that the board has some type of hidden meaning I don't care?! I know you are upset and exhausted Hermione but it doesn't give you the right to treat me like this…I miss them and scared for them too. I have nightmares every night that we might not find them; I am just trying to stay strong while I'm awake for your sake…"

The colors rushed to Hermione's cheeks, and left her speechless…only for a moment though. "Ron…I…"

"Save it Hermione…I don't want to hear it…we both know that you're probably going to continue to do it," he mumbled biting his lip before he said something he would really regret.

"You are a complete arse!" Hermione shouted throwing a pillow at him as she slammed down in the chair across the room. "Honestly Ronald!"

Sensing the fight was going to escalate Ginny decided to bow out as referee. _That's it… I'm done trying to make peace_; she thought as she turned to exit the room, _she can kill him for all I care…_

"What do I have to do? Now do I focus on one piece to record my voice or. . ."

Ginny's train of thought ended abruptly hearing a tiny voice that did not belong to any of the occupants in the room. Turning about the room she tried decide if she had actually heard something or simply imagined it.

"No, no, don't worry about that… just talk like you are leaving a message on the answering machine, it's already recording."

There is was again! Only it was a different voice this time, a male voice though not much louder than the first voice had been. She hadn't imagined it…there was definitely someone else talking in the room. Though with the volume at which Hermione and Ron were arguing she was surprised she had even heard them in the first place.

"Hang on a second you two," Ginny said in a distracted voice as she gazed around the room.

"I didn't ask you to be strong for me now did I?" Hermione said annoyed, completely ignoring Ginny,

"All I was sayin-"

"SHUT UP! Both of you!" Ginny yelled, cutting off her brother, making his face turn a bright red.

"What?" they both snapped together as they looked at her, Hermione even looked a little miffed.

"Can't you hear that?" she asked in an exasperated tone, while looking around the room once more.

The three of them paused and held their breaths, waiting for whatever Ginny had heard.

"Seriously dude?!"

Hermione stiffened as she heard the small voice; even though it sounded like a mouse had produced it she still knew it in an instant. "That sounds like..." she whispered as the other two nodded in agreement, "Rachel?"

They all stopped talking again, hoping to pick up the small noises. As they strained to hear anything they all suddenly heard laughing. Ginny smiled recognizing the laugh she loved to hear, "Harry."

"... How the hell is this even fair?"

"...Well, I'm the wizard here…"

"OH... Just because you're a wizard…"

"...Yeah! In fact I am, and look it worked didn't it?!"

Out of the corner of her eyes Hermione caught a flash of movement over on the desk. Turning she watched as one of the pieces moved ever so slightly_. _

_ I knew it_, she thought with a smile as she heard Rachel's voice sound again.

Quietly she pointed over to the chess board. On the playing area two pieces in white began to move and it appeared they were arguing about something. Slowly standing Hermione motioned for the others to follow. They crept quietly across the room until they were right in front of the board. There was an audible gasp as they saw two pieces suddenly bore similar features to Harry and Rachel. The two pieces didn't seem to even notice they were there, for they were too heavily involved in arguing.

Harry sat as the knight and looked down at Rachel, who was posing as a pawn. In retrospect the scene was quite amazing as Harry tried to calm what seemed like a steaming Rachel.

"Worked?! Fricking A! Does it look like it worked from up there?! You made me a lousy pawn, really?! A PAWN?!"

"HEY!"

"What?!"

"I didn't mean for it to work out like this!"

Even in chess piece form the look that Rachel shot at Harry should have caused him to drop over. _She's really pissed,_ Hermione thought seeing that look only once before, and that had been enough for her.

"Okay maybe a little..." Harry responded even though his face was shielded, it was very apparent he was smiling.

Rachel, the pawn, looked at Harry for a second before roughly chucking her shield at his face. It connected with his helmet and made a loud clang that caused everyone to wince.

"Oh that hurt," Ron sniggered and even Hermione giggled a little.

The shield fell to the ground with a clatter and revealed a very shocked face that belonged to Harry Potter.

"Ouch," he said quietly as Rachel tried to stop herself from laughing.

"No offense dude, but you'd make a terrible knight!" she howled through her laughter as she bent over and held her stomach.

Harry rolled his eyes and quickly dismounted his immobile horse to race at Rachel. Crashing into her and he pushed them both to the ground. Sitting on top of her, Harry pinned her arms down and laughing, "Not so tough now, huh?" he said smugly.

Rachel huffed and wrestled one of her arms free, once she had; she flicked Harry on the nose with her finger, hard.

Ron, Hermione and Ginny all burst out laughing, watching the scene in front of them. They didn't know what they were witnessing was even possible. But it was the first time they had heard and "seen" their friends in such a long time it didn't matter how it was happening.

"Think it's time to stop messing around and tell them what we need to?" Rachel asked looking up at Harry smile on her face. "I'll resume kicking your ass for making me a pawn later."

"I'd like to see you try," Harry laughed before rolling off his friend.

"So would I," Ron agreed with a smirk.

Jumping to his feet Harry turned to reach out a hand to help Rachel up. It was apparent from their smiles that the battle was over…for now. An awkward silence seemed to fall over the room as the chess pieces stared up. Hermione watched as Rachel's piece took a few steps back and averted her eyes toward the ground. Knowing almost all of her mannerisms, she knew in an instant that Rachel was trying to think of the right words to convey something important.

Looking over his shoulder Harry also noticed the pawn had grown unusually quiet. "You want me to talk, then?" he asked as small smile on his face.

With a nod Rachel swallowed hard, "Pl-lease I just don't know what to say to her, and if I start talking it will come out a ramble."

Ron and Ginny turned toward Hermione to see her reaction. Taking a step forward she knelt down in front of the board as if trying to become eye level with her girlfriend. "Just start talking, Rachel, no matter what you say it doesn't matter as long as I hear your voice more," she almost pleaded hoping it would give her the nerve to talk.

Completely ignoring what Hermione had requested Harry began to speak. "I can't give a lot of details about where we are. Just know we are both somewhere safe and will be remaining here for some time. He found out Rachel was alive and sent death eaters to get her. I managed to get to her first. We were attacked at her home, and managed to get away with only minor injuries…"

"Well that explains the hole in her house then," Ron added as Harry didn't even break stride with what he was saying.

"We had this plan laid out that if ever he found out about her that we would go into hiding until the threat was over. But this is what we need you to do…carry on. Act like nothing is wrong and that we aren't even missing. Go back to Hogwarts try to answer as few as questions as possible…pretend we don't and never did exist."

The three teens exchanged shocked looks at Harry's words. How was that even possible to do? Everyone at school would know that if the famous boy who lived suddenly vanished that his best friends would know. Normally Hermione was the rational one in these situations but hearing Harry confirmation that they were in possible danger caused a spark of anger to flare up inside her.

"This is complete rubbish!" she shouted causing the other's to jump, "How can you expect us to act like nothing is wrong when we know that you both are being hunted! You should have brought her here Harry; the order would have protected her from…"

Ginny placed a hand on her shoulder cutting off her rant. "I don't think they can hear us," she said motioning to the board, "I think it's just a recording of some sorts."

They realized that Harry, not even fazed by Hermione's outburst, had turned and walked toward Rachel who was wringing her hands nervously. Looking up at Harry she smiled quickly at him, as he gripped her arm. "Anything you want to add?" he asked knowing that inside Rachel she was nothing was a jumble of emotions.

With a nod she stepped past Harry and looked up. Even though they had established that they could not interact with the pieces, Hermione swore on everything she held dear, that Rachel made eye contact with her. "I am so sorry," she started a slight waiver in her voice, "I know I did the one thing I promised I would never do again. But my goal from the moment you entered my life was to protect you. Me being…here…is my way of making sure you are safe until we figure out what to do. It kills me to do this to you Hermione, but I will not lose you to him…I just hope my actions don't cause me to lose you in a different way. Please do what we ask and just stay safe…I can't live without you. I love you and miss you so much it hurts…" she paused and touched the place on her chest where if her pawn was wearing a necklace it would have hung, "and judging by this I know you must, too."

Hermione felt her eyes burn with tear as she reached up to grasp her own glowing pendent. Staring at the small stone version of her girlfriend grasping her star as well, Hermione felt a connection with Rachel that she had been yearning for since she disappeared. Even though she had no clue where she was or what she was doing …she was on her mind and in her heart.

"Please forgive me," Rachel whispered finally breaking her gaze up stifling a cry.

Before she became an inconsolable mess Harry wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder. Kissing her temple he held her close, knowing that she was slowly breaking on the inside. Looking up quickly he grabbed his wand from his back pocket. "We will be in touch closer to when we will come find you…take care of each other and don't worry 'mione I'll make sure she stays safe," he said with a silent wave of his wand.

Before their eyes they watched as the chess pieces froze in place, Harry the "big brother" comforting Rachel, still grasping her necklace, with her face buried in his shoulder. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stood there in silence staring at the stone figures holding one another. They had finally had some of the answers that they had been searching for, and yet they didn't feel better.

Ron was the first to break the silence with a clearing of his throat. "Um guess you were right about the chessboard."

With a cross between a laugh and a sob Hermione turned to bury her face into Ron's shoulder, mimicking the stone figures of the ones they loved and missed horribly.


	14. Chapter 14: Hallucination or Warning?

**Chapter 14: Hallucination or Warning?**

Time waits for no one, or so the saying goes. Obviously who ever said that first has never been confined to a house for weeks on end. Harry and Rachel had and they could both attest that time seemed to have come to a standstill. The pair had, had no contact with the outside world since they had enter Grimmuld Place the beginning of August and now it was starting to get to them.

Never did Rachel ever think that Harry would get on her nerves, but after four straight months of having no one to talk to but him, she was finding it hard to not scratch his eyes out. Even Harry was finding it hard not to bicker with his friend as every slightly annoying thing she did not seemed to be magnified by a billion.

After losing more games of wizards' chess than she could count, Rachel had decided to take an indefinite hiatus from the game. The choice seemed to be the best course of action when the thought of shoving the broken pieces of her freshly smashed king down his throat brought her great pleasure. Chess turned into cards and when every card game under the sun had been played multiple times they turned to childhood games such as tic-tac-toe and hangman. But when a fight broke out over the spelling of hippogriff the two had retreated to different floors and hadn't really spoken in nearly a week. Rachel knew it was childish but she wasn't going to apologize after the way he had shouted at her and called her a cheat, she could be very stubborn if need be.

While Harry had basically locked himself in Sirius' old room, only emerging for meals, Rachel spent her days in the room they had originally claimed together. The minutes ticked by agonizingly slow as she threw herself into books or into her dream world. Hermione, along with the Weasley siblings, had gone back to Hogwarts just under a month after Rachel and Harry went into hiding, to keep up the charade that they didn't even know the pair was missing. Which they knew this wouldn't fool anyone because if anyone knew that Harry had gone missing it would be his two best friends, but they did as they were instructed to do so.

Smiling, Rachel pictured her girlfriend back in her natural element, the classroom, but she just prayed that their upcoming meeting in a few months' time would not be distracting her from her studies. The thought of the school year beginning also brought sadness to the teen, as she should have been almost three months deep into freshman year. School had never been one of Rachel's favorite things but the fact she was missing out on "some of the best years of her life" made her slightly angry.

After all, she had thought that when he had formed this plan to hide out that Harry also had planned a way to eventually get rid of the death eaters that would no doubt be trying to track them down. So far Voldemort's minions had not disappointed as they hadn't left the corner vacant for more than a second, ever present on the hunt for the soul piercer and the boy who lived.

"You'd think after four months they'd give up and focus on something else," Rachel had said to Harry before the blow up, while peering out the peephole. "With him trying to ya know take over the world, I would think he would be focused on more important things."

Gently pushing her aside Harry took his turn staring outside. "With the large bounty that is undoubtedly on our heads would you have given up?" he almost chuckled, watching one death eater take the place of another, like a well-oiled machine.

It was like the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, only not as elaborate, as it occurred at nearly the same time every day, just after sunset. Both teens had watched as the streetlight would unexpectedly darken, and a billow of smoke would funnel from the sky to the ground like a twister. Out of the smoke a man would step dressed in black robes and a look of pure evil on his face. Without even pausing he would stroll up to the man that had been on guard duty. A quick word would be exchanged between the pair before the first would vanish in another cloud of smoke leaving his replacement standing exactly where he had been as the streetlight hummed back to life.

At this rate they were never going to make the rendezvous point just before Christmas. It killed her to have to wait that long to see Hermione again, but they figured out Christmas was the time when school would be empty. This would make it easier for Hermione and Ron to slip away, and not be missed until after the holidays. Unfortunately that was still nearly two whole months away. If Rachel and Harry continued on this path they were currently on, by then they would be turning the other in to Voldemort themselves.

Sighing, she stared at the picture of her and Hermione, now bent and worn from spending the last sixteen weeks on Rachel's person at all times. That day at the Burrow seemed to have been so long ago, when in reality a year hadn't even passed yet. Being so closed to her and not being able to see, even contact her, was slowly killing Rachel. This was the time when she needed her girlfriend, her best friend, the most when she was upset and scared about what was going to happen in the days to come. Hermione would place an arm around her, and hold her close, reassuring that whatever was going to happen the two of them would get through it, together.

Gazing into the smiling face of Hermione, Rachel felt her insides ache. Not being able to talk to her in such a long time made her realize just how much she cared about her, and also made her ponder how she had survived seventeen year not knowing she even existed.

Footsteps came from above as Harry had begun to pace around the room. He had taken to aimlessly walking to pass the time. Huffing Rachel stared toward the roof she had been listening to his pointless footsteps for hours over the past several days. If she had to listen to it again today she swore she was going to go let the death eater inside then point him in Harry's direction.

"Ya know, if you would just stop being a stupid jerk and apologize for yelling at me maybe we won't both die of boredom," she shouted, watching the dust particles knocked loose by Harry's pacing float down from the ceiling.

The footsteps paused for a moment, and she thought maybe this time Harry would come down to apologize but her hopes were dashed as the simple walking turned into loud stomping. "Asshole," she muttered settling back onto the bed, "seriously what are you three years old?"

Closing her eyes Rachel let her mind escape the confines of the four walls that currently imprisoned her. As she lay in the bed she began to float away and soon she found herself relaxing in her backyard back home. Opening her eyes she instantly had to cover them as she was blinded by the bright sun that hung overhead. She hadn't realized how long it had been since she had been in the sunlight, and her reaction to it made her feel a bit like a vampire. Her mother's laughter caused Rachel to remove her hand to see Ripper tearing around the yard chasing butterflies, one of his favorite past times, while her father handed her a tall glass of lemonade. Smiling she took the tart drink from her father as she continued to watch her dog run around the grass like a fool, allowed all the stress of her current state to melt away. She was now worlds away, away from magic, death eaters, and the threat of Voldemort and for the first time in a long time Rachel found herself truly at peace.

She didn't know how long she would remain in her perfect world so she wasn't going to waste a moment as she watched Ripper at play. He continued to tear around the yard like a bat out of hell as Rachel egged him on to catch the rapidly fluttering insect.

"Come on buddy, get it! Get it little man!" she laughed as the pup picked up speed and disappeared around the corner of the house right behind the bug.

"Rachel, go get him before he chases it into the street," her mother said after a moment or two when Ripper hadn't returned on his own.

Sighing at the fact she had to leave the comfort of her chaise, Rachel stood, and calling his name trotted to the side of the house. It wasn't uncommon for him to not come back right away when called, especially when distracted, but when his playful barking unexpectedly ceased her heart rate to quicken. No car had been heard on the street but still the fear that might have been struck or ever stolen filled her as she jogged after him.

The moment that she had entered the side yard almost caused her to turn and bolt straight back from where she had just come, without her companion. The trees, grass, and bushes that normally were there had vanished and was replaced by darkness, so dark that it was almost if she had nearly ran straight into a pitch black tunnel.

"Ripper," she whispered sharply into the blackness, hanging back at the verge of where grass met darkness, not daring to take another step forward.

The echo of her own voice was her only response, as she squinted trying to see if she could make out the shape of her tiny white dog. The blackness was so thick Rachel knew there would be no hope of trying to even see him. Just as she was about to turn back around she spotted a pin point size light in the black void. It flickered in the distance and for the life of her Rachel found it hard to look away as it seemed to have a hypnotic pull instantly on the girl. Finally, after a few hard blinks she was able to look away. Turning back she saw that her mother and father were now standing in the middle of the sunny backyard, staring at their only child. Gazing into the unblinking eyes of the people that created her caused a chill to run up her spine.

"Well dear?" her mother asked her voice almost robotic.

"I can't see him," Rachel stammered realizing she might no longer be in Kansas anymore.

Ripper was her most cherished possession, and never in a million years would she leave him in harm's way. It was the energy that she was radiating from the darkness caused her to remain rooted on the spot. Feeling like Alice looking down the rabbit hole Rachel silently pleaded that at any moment Ripper would return, and she could scoop him up so that the pair could retreat to the safety of the backyard; even though her parents were now worrying her.

Minutes ticked by and still he had not returned, but Rachel almost didn't notice as most of her focus was not on her zombielike parents. The pair hadn't moved nor even blinked since Jessica had spoken. Chills erupted up and down Rachel, as she became almost positive that something dark was seeping into her perfect world.

"He'll come back when he's ready, why don't you come sit down, poppet?" her father's voice broke the silence. Not only was it the speech pattern that he spoke to her that caused her mouth to go dry, but also what he just called her.

"What did you just call me?" she asked hearing the pet name used in Great Britain come tumbling from the mouth of her very American father.

The blank smile fell from his her father's face and his eyes narrowed at her. Stepping away from Jessica he took an advancing step toward his daughter. "Aw to 'ell wit' this," he said his voice completely changing as his American accent disappeared, and was replaced by a very thick cockney accent. "Look, 'choo can either come back 'ere an' wait for the Dark Lord willingly or we can make 'choo stay here by force, your choice lovey."

Before Rachel could even wrap her head around what was going on her parents began to shutter, like a film being fast forward. Their limbs flailed as they convulsed violently while still standing upright. It was a terrifying sight but not as much as their heads shifting from side to side so fast it was like a blur, but what emerged from the blur was the scariest element of the whole scene.

Her father's warm, gentle face melted away and soon was replaced by the pimply young face of a man who couldn't have been much older than she was, with greasy black hair and large ears. Even though she didn't know the man personally she recognized him instantly as one of the death eater who guarded outside Grimuld Place. His presence didn't frighten her it was who took the place of the woman who bore her that shook Rachel to the core. "Now, now Stan let's not threaten her. We don't want one of the guest of honor damaged in transit," the witch said her eyes piercing Rachel's soul, "the Dark Lord would frown upon that."

"What would 'choo know about not harming 'er, Bellatrix," Stan Shunpike spat, "last time 'choo tried to bring 'er in 'choo shoved a knife in her gut, dinnit ya?"

As if on cue a blaze of pain ripped through Rachel's midsection in the exact location of the stab wound, causing her to howl in agony. Gripping her stomach she dropped to her knees in the grass, the pain making her head spin. Looking down she half expected to see the knife handle once again her hands and blood pouring from her abdomen. Though it didn't bring relief from the pain, it did comfort her to find that her skin was still on one piece.

"Not my fault that she wanted to play hero to the mudblood," Bellatrix cackled, causing Rachel's blood to instantly boil. She hated that term especially when it was used to reference Hermione.

"Don't fucking . . . call her . . . that!" she hissed her gut on fire.

"Right, right we know you love your _mudblood_ girlfriend," Bellatrix quipped and pulled her wand from Jessica's jeans she was still wearing. "Now come sit down and wait for my lord for arrive. He has been longing to have you return to him since he found out I didn't kill you."

Instincts kicked in as Rachel crawled away from the pair, but in turn ended up closer to the blackness. Swearing under her breath, the muggle found herself trapped between a rock and a hard place; death eater or unknown black hole that could spit her out anywhere in the universe. Even though she had no clue what was waiting for her when she stepped through, Rachel figured she might have better odds falling through the black then letting the death eaters take her.

"Where 'choo think 'choos goin'?'" Stan asked watching Rachel drag herself along the ground toward the side yard.

"I don't care, just as long as it's far away from you," she hissed as her hand broke the line dividing the light from the dark. A moment of panic arose in the girl as she realized that there was nothing solid underneath her palm. Fear replaced the panic knowing that she wouldn't be simply crawling away; she would have to fall, possibly through time and space, in order to escape. Inhaling sharply and just as Bellatrix's spell left her wand, Rachel rolled into the blackness. For a moment nothing happened, she seemed to just be suspended midair hovering in the nothingness.

_Well this isn't as bad as I thought it would be,_ she though feeling weightless in her environment_, now I just need to figure out how to get back, and not back to the land of death eater parents. _

"Where is he?!" the angry scream filled the space suddenly causing Rachel to cry out, "tell me where he is!"

An eerie silence filled the void as she flipped and turned in all directions trying to find where the voice had come from.

"Bring them here," a female boomed, "perhaps some alone time will help jog their memory."

Footsteps echoed, followed by a door slamming shut filled her ears as she continued to whirl around. "I know you three know where they are, and it would be wise for you to tell us."

An icy silence hung in the air that chilled Rachel to the bone; somehow she knew that what she was listening to had something to do with her. "Nothing? No one wants to share?" the female voice said, obvious annoyance in her tone. "Maybe this will help jog your memory . . . crucio."

The scream of a girl was heard almost instantaneously followed by a sickening thud, it was obvious whoever it was, had fallen victim to the curse. Her cries of pain were too much to bear for the soul piercer, who had to cover her ears to try to block out the sounds of pure agony.

"Please! Please stop, she doesn't know anything!" a frantic voice could be heard over the screaming, which caused the muggle's stomach to knot.

"Hermione," she whispered recognizing her love's voice, even though it had been six months since she last heard it she would know it anywhere.

"Get off her," another familiar voice struck Rachel's gut. "Get off my sister you bastard!" Ron's normally deep calm voice was high pitched with panic watching his only sister being tortured before his eyes.

It was like listening to an old radio show with a horror theme as she continued to listen to Ginny scream in agony. Tears began to burn Rachel's eyes hearing her friend being harmed for information about her whereabouts. Digging the heels of her hand into her ears and humming loudly she tried desperately to drown out Ginny's painful screams as well as Ron and Hermione's pleas. No matter how hard she tried to drown out their voices, they still managed to penetrated deep into her mind. Finally, Rachel's nerves broke and she tore her hands away from her ears.

"Just tell them! Tell them where we are, it's not worth it! Hermione, Ron, Ginny just tell them! Please stop hurting her, I give up I'll turn myself in, just fucking leave them alone!" she screamed herself hoarse, before clamping her eyes over her eyes. "Take me; just leave them out of it!"

Without warning and as if she had uttered some magic word, Rachel felt herself begin to drop. Air rushing past her the soul piercer tumbled head over heels through the nothingness, rapidly approaching the pinpoint of light. Not believing it was possible she found the further she fell the louder the screams grew, until she swore her ears would start bleeding.

Finally, just before Rachel thought she was going to blackout she broke through the darkness and slammed into something hard, knocking the wind out of her. "Son of a bitch," she wheezed rolling on her side in an attempt to stand. Her ribs screamed in pain, and Rachel knew right away that they had to be broken again. As she struggled for breath she noticed the screaming had ended abruptly. Opening her eyes slightly she saw that a stone floor was what had broken her fall, and at first glance it instantly reminded her of Hogwarts.

"Once again, where are they hiding? I know that you know where they are at!"

Jerking her head upwards she finally had the scene before her that belonged to the soundtrack she had been haunting her the last several minutes, and it caused worse pain then her injured ribs. Ginny was lying face down on the ground just a few feet away from her while a woman stood over her wand pointed at her. Crawling on her hands and knees Rachel tried to reach Ginny before another spell could harm her, but this scuttle ended abruptly as she collided head-on with an invisible wall. "What the hell?" she cried putting her hands in front of her and against the solid structure she couldn't see. "No, no, no, this isn't possible!"

Leaping to her feet she ignored the burning in her side as she raced to her left, in hopes of finding some opening that will allow her to reach her friends. Not taking her eyes off Ginny, she watched as she writhed in pain on the ground as another cruciatous struck her petite frame. It was no use though there seemed to be no possible way for Rachel to get close to her; she just had to simply watch the scene play out in front of her.

"I told you already she doesn't know where they are!" Hermione screamed, catching Rachel's attention and causing her to look up.

It was like another stab to her heart looking at the person she loved most and seeing the state was in. Hermione looked like she had been in several fights, and hadn't won any of them by the looks of it, as countless bruises and cuts covered her face. It was quite apparent as she caught a glimpse of Ron as well that this was not their first interrogation, nor would it be their last. The tears where in her eyes before she realized it as she pressed her hands up against the force field, looking like a mime trapped within an imaginary box. "Oh baby," she choked trying not to go into hysterics, sliding to her knees.

Turning toward Hermione the woman moved her wand from her victim to aim it directly at the seventeen year old witch. "But you know where she is don't you?" she hissed as Hermione swallowed hard. "Your precious soul piercer told you where she is at so you wouldn't worry about her, hasn't she?"

Stepping over Ginny, as she was trying to get to her feet with her brother's help, the female death eater approached Hermione. Heartbeat increasing Rachel began to pound mercilessly onto the hard air, but it was no use, it was if she wasn't even there. Narrowing her eyes the woman glared at her before looking at the man who bore a bit of a resemblance to her. "I wish to speak to our friend," she said her smile that did not even try to hide her malevolent intent, "alone."

"Not a chance!" Ron cried as both he and Ginny tried to block Hermione, before they were restrained by the man in dark robes. The Weasley boy made it further than his sister and managed to reach his best friend's side before a large hand snagged the back of his robes. The pair kicked and screamed trying to break loose but it was no use, the massive man managed to pull them from the room without almost any struggle.

A moment later the door could be heard slamming shut and the man returned alone to join his sister. The pair encircled her like a lion and lioness would stalk a gazelle. Hermione knew how to hide her fear well, but from where she was standing, Rachel could see the pure terror in her eyes.

"Now that we are alone dear and you don't have to worry about putting up a front in front of your friends, why don't you tell me where they are?" she asked her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "I can assure you she would not be harmed in any way; after all she did pledge herself to the dark lord."

Setting her jaw Hermione stared straight ahead; she had faced the Carrows alone before, and was prepared to endure more of the same to keep Harry and Rachel safely hidden. "I don't know who you are talking about," Hermione stated calmly.

"Don't play dumb with us, girl!" the man hissed from behind her. "You know damn well where they both are hiding."

"Even if I did, I would never tell you where they are," she replied defiantly, which caused Rachel's stomach to knot.

_She's going to get herself killed_, Rachel thought watching the man grab Hermione's ponytail and forced her head back so fast and hard she swore her neck was going to snap. Panicked breaths began to escape from the witch, as Alecto reached up to grasp Hermione's brightly shining necklace.

"Now we have been trying to be patient with you and your endless games, mudblood. So either you start talking or you can keep this up and no one will be able to protect her from his wrath," she said gripping the chain tightly causing it to choke her. "He doesn't look kindly at death eaters who turn their back on him."

Nausea hit Rachel hearing herself referred to as a death eater. Yes, she had pledged herself to Voldemort while under possession, but that didn't really make her a death eater… did it?

"Rachel's _not_ a death eater!" Hermione defended her love.

Hearing her called that seemed to have the same effect on her as when Rachel heard her being referred to as mudblood.

"Ah so you do know who we are talking about!" he snarled behind Hermione as the color drained from her face. Rachel's heart pounded in her throat knowing that she might have signed her fate with her slip up in words. Then to her surprise she watched as Hermione stiffened her posture.

"All I am saying is to be a death eater you have to be both vile inside and out . . . which I can say you both have covered very nicely."

"Wow," Rachel said feeling her jaw drop hearing Hermione stand up for her, and insult two minions of Voldemort in one breath. Taking her eye off of Hermione, she caught the silent exchange between brother and sister. With a smile he threw Hermione to the ground by her hair. In the instant she watched her girlfriend slam into the stone ground, hands were on her shoulders pulling her away from everything.

"No!" she screamed trying to fight off who ever had grabbed her as the lights began to dim in front of her like the stage lights at the end of a performance.

_The rest will be too much to watch, _Beth's voice whispered in her ears as Rachel strained to see what was happening to her, _it's best if you don't see it._

"Four months you have left me alone, four months and now you show up?" Rachel growled clawing at the nothingness in front of her. It was true she had not had a visit from either spirit since that afternoon her room when they first went into hiding. Secretly, she hoped that she might have been rid of her visitors once and for all since all they seemed to bring was news of dark and dangerous times ahead.

Hermione's screams sounded without warning and in that moment something snapped inside of Rachel. "Let go of me you fucking bitch! You show up and all hell breaks loose. I don't care what you fucking said to me before I am not letting her be tortured because of me," she cried ripping her shoulders from Beth's grasp.

_You would risk your future to protect her?_

"Without her I don't have a future I want to face," she sobbed dropping to her knees listening to her girlfriend's howls of pain.

Staring into the darkness Rachel prayed that some light source would turn on to illuminate the place she knew Hermione to be. A silence fell over the room which caused her stomach to lurch. Then out of the darkness she could make out the sound of heavy breathing.

"Don't kill her," the female hissed in a low voice, "with her dead we will never find out where Potter and the soul piercer are hiding."

"You're lucky this time girl," he stated obviously out of breath, "But trust me when I say this…we are going to meet every day like this until you decide to cooperate with us."

"I'll never…tell you…anything," Hermione wheezed and at the end Rachel heard her spit.

Flesh made contact with flesh and Rachel knew she had just been slapped by the sounds of it, it had been pretty hard. That was it, her friends, especially Hermione, were in danger at Hogwarts, the one place they were supposed to be safe. At this rate one of them would be dead by the end of the week. She was going to help them, with or without Harry's help. Knowing that she couldn't hear her didn't stop from Rachel and screaming at the top of her lungs, "Hermione, I'm coming to get you!"

_So be it…just be careful and keep the words I spoke in the back of your mind, _Beth sighed from behind.

Eyes still transfixed in front of her, Rachel didn't see Beth raise her foot and in one swift motioned kicked her in the spine. The force of the kick sent Rachel falling forward, but instead of slamming into the hard ground again she felt her body bounce off something soft. Upon opening her eyes she found herself lying face down on the mattress back in headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix.

Had it been a dream? Or was it one of her warnings of what was to come, like the one she had before Hermione was nearly stabbed in the Forbidden Forest last December? She wasn't sure but she wasn't going to risk it. Forgetting she was even fighting with Harry she sprang from her bed and bolted from the room. Taking the steps three at a time she reached Sirius's room in record time. Just as she was about to burst into the room the door flew open. A very pale Harry greeted her in the doorway with the heel of his hand pressed onto his scar. "I was just coming to find you," he winced confirming what Rachel thought…his scar was hurting him.

"Harry…what did you see?" she ask quietly, almost afraid to know the answer. After all Harry was a direct link to Voldemort's mind so if he saw something as well then her vision had to be for real.

"They're in trouble," he stated firmly causing Rachel's heart to race, "we have to get to Hogwarts. Meet me downstairs in ten minutes…we're leaving while they are switching guards."

With a nod Rachel raced back to her room to gather her supplies in case they weren't coming back_. Don't worry Hermione_, she thought grasping the blue star as she stumbled down the stairs_, I'm coming_.


	15. Chapter 15: Ten Minutes

**Chapter 15: Ten Minutes **

Making it to the downstairs hallway with nine minutes to spare Rachel began to pace up and down. Ten minutes was nothing compared to all the time that she had spent locked away in this place, right? Now though ten minutes, well eight minutes and forty-five seconds to be exact, seemed to be taking an eternity to tick by, and was causing her to almost go into panic attacks. Every time there was a flicker from the stone she nearly lost it, thinking that was the end of Hermione.

As she tried to steady her breath from the latest flicker she heard footsteps from above. Fifteen seconds later Harry appeared at the top of the staircase, wand in one hand and a piece of parchment in his other hand. Staring intently at the paper he paused half way down the stairs. Tapping her foot hoping that would move him along; Rachel suddenly realized she was being completely ignored. Finally she couldn't stand it anymore…they were wasting precious seconds and in this case seconds could mean the difference of someone's last breath being taken or not.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she shouted more harshly then she meant.

Looking up from the map Harry glared at her, "We can't just go busting in there without a plan! I'm trying to figure out one as we speak…so unless you want to contribute then shut it."

It was quite apparent that even though their friends were in danger there was still a bit of tension between the two. Crossing her arms and sulking like a two year old Rachel leaned against the wall from being talked to like that. _What a jerk_, she thought watching his eyes dart around the paper.

After a minute he looked up and folded the paper back up to tuck it in his back pocket. "Have you a plan Mister Mighty Potter? Am I allowed to talk now?" she sneered causing him to narrow his eyes are her.

"Look, we are going to have to work together to get them out…so let's just do this and then we can resume not talking. Trust me I was enjoying the peace and quiet lately and would like to continue a bit longer," he stated and flung a strap of his bag around his shoulder.

"Well I hate to burst your bubble but if Hermione is around it won't be quiet at nights…if you catch my drift," she said with a wink.

With a disgusted look Harry shook his head and walked past her to the door. She hated to use up her intimate life with Hermione but she knew that it would shut Harry up instantly. In actuality all she wanted to do was sleep with Hermione in her arms, that was enough for her. Turning she caught him staring out the peephole then down at his watch and she could tell by the look on his face he was trying to figure out how long they had before the switch occurred.

"Right, we have five minutes, that should be more than enough time," he stated and dropped his bag. Silently he began to rummage through it pulling out various clothes: a white button down shirt, black robes, and lastly a maroon and gold tie. "Put these on…"

Standing he tossed the pile of clothes at Rachel, who caught only the robe. Shooting him one of her famous life ending looks she picked up the pieces of clothing she hadn't successfully caught. Holding up the clothes she realized that Harry had just thrown her his school uniform. "Why am I putting this on?" she asked holding the tie in her forefinger and thumb.

"Because it's part of my plan, you are going to become the latest Gryffindor," he said pointing his wand at her suddenly, "Don't move."

Before Rachel even could blink Harry had muttered a spell that sent a blue light at her. The spell enveloped her causing her entire head and neck area to tingle. It wasn't painful at all; it just felt like she had spiders crawling all over her flesh. The light disappeared leaving her staring at a very smug looking wizard. Shaking her head Rachel reached up to touch her still tingling face to try to figure out why a spell was just cast on her. Nothing felt out of sorts, but she could tell by the way he was looking at her, he had done something.

Taking a few steps back she found a dusty mirror nailed to the wall. As she stared at her reflection the scream caught in her throat… there was no possible way that was her staring back! The mirror had to be jinxed or something. Only when she caught a glimpse of blue around her neck did she realize this really was truly her reflection. Her brown shoulder length hair had shortened into a pixie cut and was now red…a red she could only describe as Weasley red. That was not the only physical change that had magically taken place. Her blue eyes that she used to peer into people's souls were now a deep chocolate brown very similar to Hermione's.

Whirling around she faced Harry, "Oi what the bloody 'ell did you do to me you feckin' arse?!" she managed to cry out before clamping her hand over her mouth…that wasn't her voice either. Her American accent had vanished and been replaced by a very Irish one.

With a smirk he placed his wand into his back pocket. "Well you can't be running around the school looking like you now can you?" he stated trying to sound as innocent as possible. "If there are death eaters about they know what you look like."

"So you make me look like one of Hermione and Ron's offspring instead?!" she cried pulling at her incredibly short hair. "This better not be permanent!"

"Relax you'll be back to normal in a couple of hours…or days…a month at the most."

"I am gonna bloody kill ya when we get back…or give ya to the death eaters meself," Rachel growled narrowing her eyes at him.

Completely ignoring her threat Harry turned back to the peephole to gaze out once again, "Just get dressed, you're wasting time."

The only reason Rachel allowed herself to be bossed around by him was knowing that this was all to help rescue Hermione…otherwise she would have told him where to shove his wand. "Ya could say please, ya know?" she mumbled.

"Yeah, I know I could."

Suppressing a growl Rachel slammed her bag down onto the ground. "Why am I the only one who has to? Why aren't ya changing how ya look?" she asked rather annoyed as she pulled her sweatshirt off.

"Cause I'll be under the cloak," he said smugly pulling the invisibility cloak from his bag then draping it over his arm.

"And I couldn't go under the cloak, why?" she asked her temper rising with his attitude her seemed to suddenly have with her. She wasn't a natural red head but the fieriness characteristic of the red head seemed to appearing in her.

"It's obvious," he stated matter-of-factly staring at her, "you wouldn't fit under there with me."

"Did ya just call me…_fat_?" she snapped her blood beginning to boil.

Laughing and shaking his head he turned back around. "Just change…we are going to have to apperate soon."

Allowing herself a chance to calm down Rachel finished getting dressed in silence. _This is so weird_, she thought running her fingers through her hair. In her entire life Rachel's hair had never been above her shoulders, but now seeing it this way she kind of liked how it looked. The color though would need to change in the meantime she just hoped Hermione had a thing for red heads until she was back to normal. What she even thinking about that at a time like this? Who cared if she was going to look different for a while…the only thing she should be thinking about is the task at hand.

_Focus_, she scolded herself, pulling her eyes away from the mirror.

Once the house robes were around her shoulders she stared back up at the stranger in the mirror. With her hair and the Gryffindor attire she could have easily passed for a member of the Weasley clan. Part of her was curious if he had subconsciously made her into Ginny's "sister" because he missed her so much.

That's when it dawned upon her…Harry had to be feeling exactly how she was feeling over Ginny. That fear of knowing her life was in danger would cause anyone to be short.

_He's still a bit of a jerk_, she thought loosening her tie she has tied too tightly, _but I guess I can forgive him…even though he called me fat._

She chuckled to herself trying to release to knots in her stomach. Even though this was a rescue mission Rachel was still excited about seeing her girlfriend after so long. She didn't know what kind of state she was going find her in when she got to her, but that didn't matter as long as she was safe. Silently she vowed once she had her back she was never letting her out of her sight again. No matter what she was never leaving her side, anything that was thrown at them they would face together.

Though one thing that was troubling Rachel, that was what emotion she would be finding when she looked into Hermione's eyes. Would it be pure fear after being tortured for so long? Part of her was scared it would just be hatred after not only leaving her but what she had to endure because of her disappearance. It was sad for her to think that in her mind the least likely emotion she will present would be joy. Forcing a smile at that thought she turned toward Harry.

"How do I look?"

Giving her the once over he gave her a thumbs up with a smile. "I approve, you don't look a thing like you."

"Umm thanks…I think?" she asked stooping down to grab her bag she had thrown in anger.

Ignoring her comment Harry stared out the peephole. Their departure had to be timed perfectly or else they ran the risk of being discovered. As it was he knew that his use of magic would be sensed. He just hoped that the guards would be slightly distracted when they were switching their posts. It was a long shot but after what he saw he knew he had to risk it. Little did she know that Harry had a plan, a plan that he would not be sharing with her. But he had made a promise to Hermione as well as himself that he would keep Rachel safe at all costs.

Like clockwork he watched as the streetlights began to flicker. Turning back to Rachel he nodded, signaling that it was time to go. Walking up beside the wizard she grabbed onto his arm. She knew that they were going to be apperating out of the safe house. Gritting her teeth she waited for the horrible feeling to start. The feeling of being pulled through a keyhole and then shoved through miles and miles of tiny pipes was something she would never get used to. Without another word a loud crack sounded as the wizard and the muggle vanished still with a minute to spare in their ten minutes time frame.

Unfortunately, they should have taken advantage of that minute and waited. There had been a lull in the death eater exchange at the moment of their departure. The arriving death eater smiled at his comrade, "Potter's on the move."


	16. Chapter 16: Into the Passage

**Chapter 16: Into the Passage**

Landing with a thud in the darkness Rachel realized she had been holding her breath the entire time. Exhaling and inhaling rapidly caused her to violently cough due to the dust they had stirred up in their entrance. Shushing her Harry threw his hand over her mouth. Her body shock with each silent cough until all the particles had been removed from her lungs. Mouthing sorry she squinted through the pitch black trying to get her bearings straight. Around her she could make out the shapes of what appeared to be shelves and stacks of boxes. Overhead she heard muffled voices and a multitude of footsteps rushing about.

_This doesn't look like Hogwarts_, she thought inhaling the scent of sugar instead of the familiar musty castle.

"Where are we?" she whispered blindly groping for Harry's arm.

"Honeydukes' basement," he whispered back, pulling his wand out and igniting the tip, "there's a secret passage down here into the castle. We're going to have to use it to get inside."

"Why didn't we just go straight there? Walking there is going to take time we could be looking for them!"

He could sense her annoyance at him for not taking them directly into the school. "Nobody can apperate in or out of Hogwarts. And I think us randomly walking through the front doors might not go over too well. So unfortunately this is the best option we have," he stated rather sternly. "I know you want to run in there, guns blazing, and save the day. But there are death eaters everywhere, even inside the school. Snape is headmaster which means that Voldemort has a direct tie to Hogwarts. If we are spotted all hell will break loose…"

"But if that happens we will fight," she cut him off, "We fought them before, and we can take them again!"

"Last time you almost died!" he said at his normal volume but in this stillness it might has well been a scream. "You…are…not…a…witch, Rachel, remember? You have no way to fight death eaters if they want to capture us. Right now it's my job to look after you and make sure you stay safe. So you have to listen to me, and let me take charge this time, okay?"

Sheepishly, Rachel nodded, "okay."

With a stiff nod, Harry led the way to a clear spot in the middle of the cluttered cellar. Placing the wand between his teeth he knelt down to remove a rather large square stone from the floor. Rachel helped him lift the stone high enough for him to jump down into the passageway. Once he was settled he took the stone to allow her to climb down as well. As quietly as possible Harry lowered the stone back into place, sealing them inside the narrow passage.

It was quite a good thing that neither of them was claustrophobic as both sides of the passageway could be touched when they extended their arms fully. In the tight squeeze the pair began to trek toward the castle. The only sound that could be heard was the dripping of water and the scuffing of their tennis shoes. The wizard fell into the leadership role he always took in dangerous situations, and soon Rachel was following him like a sheep would a shepherd. After a few moments of walking he reached a hand back taking Rachel's hand in his own. "You okay, back there? You're awfully quiet. "

"Yea," she responded trying to keep her voice calm. "Just thinking, ya know?"

"Yeah, trust me, I understand."

Once again Harry was taking the part of the older sibling over the girl. His "lecture" seemed to stir something inside her and for the first time in a long time she was scared for herself. Over the past couple months she hadn't been worried about anyone else but Hermione. Now that she was in this situation, she realized how truly vulnerable she was. He was right. She was a muggle with absolutely no magical power walking into a place crawling with evil witches and wizards. All of who wanted to take her prisoner to claim the praise of their master. Was she insane? Yes…insanely in love with someone who was inside, and in possibly danger. Otherwise she would have turned and bolted.

_I definitely would not be in Gryffindor_; she thought stooping down as the ceiling began to drop.

As they climbed the small incline Rachel watched Harry pull the piece of parchment out of his jeans pocket. Giving it a quick once over he turned to face the muggle, instantly reminding her of the time they were crammed in the closet months ago. "I'm showing that they are in the common room at the moment. We are currently on the third floor so that means we have to not only get to the other side of the school. We also have to go up four floors… undetected."

"Sure," Rachel responded swallowing hard, "No problem."

"I'm going to put the cloak on and direct you were to go from under it. Do not make eye contact or talk to anyone. Once we get to the tower I will have to go in and get them. If they are taken or they go anywhere else I will let you know. Once we have them we will bring them back here and when we are back at Honeydukes we will be able apperate back," he said, "All in all it should take us no more than an hour."

"Psssh, piece of cake," Rachel lied swallowing the lump that suddenly formed in her throat.

Shaking a head Harry pulled the cloak around his shoulders. The floating head then turned and began to gently push on the wall before them. The stones grinded quietly as he strained to open the entrance without drawing attention to them. Luckily, from the looks of the Marauder's Map it appeared most of the school was actually missing. Harry assumed that since it was the weekend that they all were at Hogsmede for one of their visits.

_Strange_, he had thought, _I figured Snape would have ended that as soon as he was appointed headmaster._

Rachel felt her heart pound in her chest with each millimeter the stone moved. Her body's natural reaction to pure terror was taking control. She could feel her lungs expand and contract at a rapid rate as her chest tightened. It has never happened before but she knew that she was about to have a panic attack, and from what she guessed it was going to be a bad one. Before she hyperventilated she cried out, "Wait!"

"What?!" Harry shouted, startled by her sudden outcry.

Luckily the door hadn't been opened too widely or else it would have slammed shut when he jumped. Turning back around the wizard was surprised to see Rachel leaning against the wall with her head between her knees. Her breathing was rapid and irregular and he couldn't tell if she was going pass out right before him. "Whoa, what's wrong?" he asked placing his hand on her shoulders.

Raising her head she looked into his green eyes with her tear filled brown ones. It was really hard for her to admit what she was feeling at the moment. Before her was a young man who countless times had not even thought about his own life when he faced Voldemort. All that mattered to him was that he had something worth living for and that kept him moving forward. And here she was crying because…"I'm scared," she whispered sniffling.

A small grin pulled at his lips and he exhaled slowly, "I know…I am, too."

For some reason his response caused her to begin to giggle. He began to laugh along with his friend, not quite knowing what was so funny. While still laughing Rachel unexpectedly threw her arms around him. Catching Harry off guard the pair tumbled into the wall across the passageway.

With her head buried in his chest she spoke. "I'm so sorry for everything" was what she had said, but what he heard was "mhm ser serry more eberting."

"What?"

Pulling her tear streaked face back she looked up at him. She had felt horrible about the silent treatment she had been giving him over the past week. Now standing here moments before they would both be exposed to possibly a life ending event, she knew that she had to make amends.

"I'm sorry for everything I have said and done since we went into hiding. It was a stupid game and you were right with how you were spelling it. All you have ever done was protect me and keep me out of harm's way. And I was a total bitch to ya!" she said in one long breath.

"I know."

Shoving him away from her Rachel laughed, "Well ya didn't have to agree with me so quickly."

Laughing himself Harry pulled her into a giant bear hug. "I _guess_ I was a bit of an ass to you myself."

"Just a bit?" she asked raising her eyebrow, "really?"

"Fine, I was a jerk to you, and I'm sorry, too."

Hugging the other tightly they stood there in silence. Secretly each was terrified this would be the last moment they would have together…two best friends showing the other how much they meant to the other one. Neither wanted to break the embrace or break the moment. Time was ticking away and they knew that they would have to begin their dangerous quest before their friends were snatched for another interrogation. Finally Harry stepped back and looked at her…he knew that she was going to be going home tonight…he would make sure of that. The only thing he didn't know was if he would be joining her.

"I love you," he whispered and kissed her on the forehead.

"I love ya, too, Harry," she replied with a quiet smile, as he pulled the cloak over his head and began to once again open the wall before them.


	17. Chapter 17: Evil Lurks in the Hallways

**Chapter 17: Evil Lurks in the Hallways**

Surprisingly once the stones had gained momentum they swung open with ease. Popping his invisible head out, Harry made sure the coast was clear before whispering to Rachel. Trying her best to maneuver in the tight space and around the invisible boy she made her way into the darken hallway. Once around the one eyed witch statue she saw the stones move back into place. Slowly her eyes traveled around her surroundings.

This did not feel at all like the Hogwarts she had previously resided in. The magic… the very breath of life seemed to be gone. The atmosphere felt heavy, almost crushing, to the young woman. She knew that with the death of the school's headmaster would have had an effect on the school. But she didn't realize how much of an impact it had been. It also probably didn't help that a death eater was currently running the place. Like a fire she could feel her hatred for Snape grow now seeing what the school had come to in his reign.

The sudden whisper of "you ready" caused her to nearly jump out of her skin. It was just a reminder to her that she had to be on high alert at all times. Who knows who...or what could sneak up on her? With a stiff nod she felt herself be turned gently into the direction she needed to go.

_Let the rescue mission begin_, she thought half smiling, half trembling in fear.

The walk felt like a walk along the hallway to the electric chair. The click of her heels echoed off the portrait-less walls, and reverberated back at a volume much louder than it should have been. Dead man walking her mind screamed with every quaking step she took.

_Shut up_, she thought angrily with a defiant shake of her head, _you can't think like that. You are going to find them and all five of us are getting the hell out of here!_

Each minute felt like it was ticking by agonizingly slow. To her it felt like she had been walking for hours when she reached the stairs, but in reality it had only been a few minutes. At the bottom of the stairs she looked up to see the other stairwells shifting above her. How was she to know which way was the right one? A gentle shove behind reminded her that she wasn't alone in trying to find the tower. Stepping onto the stone staircase she nearly toppled over as it suddenly moved with her on it.

"Whoa," she cried out and managed to catch herself before she fell.

_Excellent,_ she thought angrily, _way to not draw attention to myself!_

Rachel could only compare the feeling to an escalator as she tried to climb the sideway shifting stairs. Once they had connected to the landing another shove told her this is where she needed to get off. After a few more shoves she had managed to navigate through the shifting stairs with ease. Surprisingly to her, they had yet to see another person in the hallways. As she began her walk in the seventh floor corridor she tried her best to shake the dark feeling she felt crawling up the back of her neck.

The further they walked and the closer they got to the Gryffindor tower the more static she felt building in the air. Her skin was erupting in goose bumps under the uniform and she was beginning to feel nauseous…this was never a good sign. The soul piercer part of her was picking up on something that she couldn't yet see…danger. Immediately, her thoughts went to her friends. If there was something ahead of them Rachel knew she didn't stand a chance. Harry on the other hand could escape and go get the others.

_Time to show my inner lion_, she thought and suddenly stopped causing the invisible boy to slam into her.

"What are you doing?" he barely breathed.

"Make sure the others are rescued," she responded through gritted teeth. "Promise me!"

"What are you…"

Harry didn't get the chance to finish his question. Around the corner two figures, dressed in black, emerged. There was nowhere for the girl to hid as they slowly approached her. Rachel instantly recognized them as the torturers from her vision earlier that day. She could feel Harry tensing up behind her; she just hoped that he wouldn't do anything to draw even more attention and possibly death eater to them.

They appeared to be moving in slow motion the closer they got as Rachel's fear intensified. Finally, they stood before her with matching intrigued looks on their faces. The family resemblance was definitely there and confirmed that they indeed were brother and sister.

"Well…well, where do you think you are going?" the man asked crossing his arms in front of him.

Rachel remained quiet, not trusting her voice to not sound completely high with terror. Swallowing hard she shifted her gaze at the ground, another trait of hers when she was very nervous.

_What would be a reasonable explanation for why a student would be out in the halls_, she thought as she quickly tried to wrack her brain.

"I…I am… just going back to… tower," she whispered, "Was at the library… st-studying."

She felt her lungs relax as the lie slipped from her lips easily enough, almost proud of herself.

"In the library? Studying were, ya?" he asked, as she feverishly nodded. "Think you are above the rules, girl?" he snapped at her causing her jump. "What part about students are to remain in their dormitories did you not comprehend?!"

Rachel's mouth opened and closed, trying to find words to talk her way out of the tight spot she found herself in. Unfortunately, this was not one of her strongest skill even when she wasn't face to face with evil witches and wizards.

"Ummmmm."

Sometimes she had such a way with words she surprised herself. Knowing she was screwed she tried to not appear like a meal to the two before her. The woman dropped a few steps to her right causing Rachel to back up against the wall. "My brother asked you a question," she hissed her dark eyes narrowing, "answer him."

"I-I forgot," Rachel stammered, "sorry, it won't happen again."

"Damn straight it won't!" he barked.

Breathing a sigh of relief Rachel thought she had avoided a catastrophe when he surprised her by grabbing the collar of her shirt. She knew this act would cause Harry to retaliate and before she could stop herself she screamed, "Don't!"

The man's eyes at first went wide in surprise and then narrowed, his lips curling into a snarl. A student knew not to talk to him in such a way. "What did you say to me?" he demanded slamming her against the wall.

"I said don't," she responded, surprised that for the first time her voice didn't break.

"You better pick your next words carefully, girl," the woman warned, leaning in so that her nose pressed against Rachel's.

"I just meant don't…wrinkle my uniform," she responded, embarrassed by the poor attempt at an excuse.

"Believe me the last thing you are going to worry about tonight is whether your uniform is wrinkled. You're coming with us."

With a sharp tug by the collar Rachel was pulled away from the wall and dragged down the hall. Once again she knew that Harry would be following behind her and would attempt to get her back. But Rachel wanted these two to take her. In her mind if they were focused on her then Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were temporarily safe from an interrogation. If she could stall these two long enough Harry could get the others out of harm's way.

"But my _friends_! They are in the _common room_ and they are waiting for me to _get there_! I need to _save them_ from their homework!" she cried emphasizing certain words in hopes that the real Gryffindor would catch on.

"I don't know what the bloody hell you are rambling about but your friends will be waiting awhile for you to get back. You need to be taught a little bit of respect first so that this little incident does not happen again," Amycus growled, dragging the girl down the hallway, his sister directly behind them. "I think some time in the dungeon is just what you need."

It took every ounce of strength for Harry to not chase after the stumbling girl. He has heard her message clearly…get to the others. He also knew that he would have an easier time getting her back with three other magical people at his side. So going against his inner hero he raced down the hallway in the direction of his home for the past six years. They had been so close to their goal that he reached it within a minute of sprinting.

Before him stood the familiar portrait of the Fat Lady, guardian of the passage into Gryffindor tower. Only she stood between him and his best friends…that and a password that he did not know. Cursing to himself he desperately tried to think of a way in, but there was only one solution that he could think of doing this. With a quick glance around to be sure he was alone, Harry removed the cloak.

"What is this?!" the Fat Lady cried at the sudden appearance of the boy who lived. "Harry Pot…"

"Shh!" he hissed cutting her off, "I need to get inside."

"Password, please."

"Are you bloody serious? I haven't been here all damn year! I haven't got a clue what the password is!" Harry whispered as sharply and loudly as he could. "You know who I am, just let me in!"

The Fat Lady crossed her arms in front of her. "Answer me this then…where have you been all year?"

"Nowhere," he said in an exasperated tone, "it's not important right now. Please I need to get inside its urgent."

After staring at the boy before her, for what felt like an eternity under the current situation, she eventually nodded. Breathing a "thank you" Harry raced into the passageway once the painting swung backwards. Without breaking his stride he burst through the portrait hole and into the common room.

He couldn't help but smile surrounded by the familiar oversized chairs and scarlet and gold tapestries. The rest of the school appeared to have changed but here…here the breath of life still resided. Harry felt at home the minute he had stepped into the firelight. Standing there for a few seconds he appeared to get lost in his own little world of happiness when something suddenly snapped him back to reality. He didn't know who had done it but he suddenly found him flat on his back with arms wrapped around him. Opening his eyes he found himself staring into a face full of freckles and brown eyes. Ginny's embrace was nearly crushing as she lay on top of him.

Harry felt the ground vibrate and then more weight added on top of him. Another head of red hair and brown wavy hair joined the youngest Weasley. All three were talking at once, demanding answers to various questions. Harry couldn't help it; he began to laugh lying underneath the dog pile of his best friends. He hadn't realized how much he had missed them until that very moment.

"I think we broke him," Ron said seriously as their chatter stopped.

The trio began to peel themselves off the black haired boy. They stood there looking down at the laughing young man, who laid there with his eyes closed.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny demanded giggling; words could not describe how relieved she was to see him after all this time.

"We're here to save you of course," he stated matter-of-factly as he rolled on his side to stand up.

Hermione felt her heart skip six beats. "You mean you're not alone?" she asked looking into the darkened passage for the glow of blue.

"Wait…what do you mean save us?" Ginny asked, hating to delay Hermione's answer. She knew she was a desperate to embrace her girlfriend as Ginny had been to embrace Harry.

Dusting himself off Harry finally looked up at his friends. His heart stopped instantly when he saw them. Not from the shock of the injuries they had, but from the lack of injuries they had. The beatings that they appeared to have endured in his vision obviously had not occurred. He felt nauseous and took a few uneasy steps backwards until he found the wall.

The trio was around him in a flash knowing that something was desperately wrong. "Harry what is it?" Hermione asked, "Where is…"

"It was a trap…Voldemort planted images in our head" he swallowed hard, realizing what had happened. He had basically led the soul piercer there, like a lamb to be slaughtered. "And now the death eaters have Rachel."


	18. Chapter 18: Welcome to Hell

**Chapter 18: Welcome to Hell**

Rachel tried her best to keep her feet under her as she was pulled down the stone steps. It was a struggle to keep up with the man, yanking on her collar, who was easily a foot taller. Thus this resulted in her having to take about three steps to equal one of his. Obviously she wasn't moving fast enough for his liking as on more than one occasion he shouted at her before giving her a quick shake. The force of the jolt caused her head to shift quickly resulting in a headache that was beginning to intensify behind her eyes…at least that's what she prayed that was causing it.

In her mind she hoped that Harry had reached the others by now without complication. Though part of her feared that by some cruel trick of the fates she would be thrown into a tiny room with her bloodied and beaten girlfriend. Just the thought of this caused her to shiver. Silently she prayed that once again the nagging feeling in her gut was wrong.

The air in the school grew thicker and colder the more sets of stairs they descended. She knew they had to be reaching the dungeons soon based on the amount of floors they had covered. Finally after what felt like the fiftieth stair case they reached the freezing stone corridor. Rachel felt instantly like she had walked into a movie or one of the fantasy stories she had read growing up. There was no light except for the torches that lined the walls, and the only sound beside their footsteps was the dripping sound of water.

Amycus did not let up his grip on the girl even as they approached the end of the hallway. Without breaking his stride he muttered under his breath causing a door to swing open. Even from the hallway the girl recognized the wooden floors contained in the interrogation room in her vision. Once inside Alecto slammed the door shut as her brother tossed the girl to the ground. Landing on her knees Rachel slid across the floor a couple of feet.

"Where the hell do you get off talking to me like that?" he spat, his eye twitching in anger.

From the ground Rachel knew she had to play the role of a terrified Hogwarts student. Though the terror she was showing would be far from fake. Hopefully, she had spent enough time with her friends to be able to pull it off. Then again how different could it be then from a muggle student?

"I…I…" Rachel stammered, struggling to get to her feet; this was near impossible due to the shaking in her legs. "I don't know what came over me…I must be exhausted from studying."

"That is no excuse!" Alecto said crossing the room to pull the girl the rest of the way standing by her short hair. "Now be a good girl and tell my brother you are sorry for being a little prat."

Wincing, the muggle shook her head. "I'm sorry!" she cried hoping this would cause the witch to release the hold she had on her.

When she didn't release her, Rachel fixed her eyes on the male Carrow. A smug look of enjoyment was plastered on his face. This was a signal to her that the games had just begun…so she better start playing.

"For?"

"Ah! For being a stupid little prat!" she screamed as Alecto applied even more pressure to her grip. "Please…you're hurting…_me_!"

"What's your name dearie?" Rachel heard whispered in her ear.

Panic filled the girl again, and in her haste she blurted out the first name that came to mind. Unfortunately for her she had watched way too much television during her all night vigils back home and this reflected in her answer. "Amelia…Amelia Pond!"

_Fuck…_

Amycus raised an eyebrow and crossed the room to the girl. Grasping her chin he raised her head to try to get a better look at her. He knew that she hadn't looked familiar when he stopped her in the hallway. Now this obviously fake name that was just given was starting to ratify what he had been thinking. But how to confirm it? After all she didn't match the description of the elusive soul piercer that everyone had been searching for since the summer.

"So _Amelia_ is it? What year are you in?" he asked slyly, with a tone that just dripped with fake trust.

"Seventh."

"Oh seventh year Gryffindor, that put you in the same year as Harry Potter… am I correct?" he asked shifting his gaze to his sister.

_Fuck… _

"Yeah…so? I don't really talk to him and besides he hasn't been around at all this year," Rachel tried desperately to cover her tracks

"Don't you think that's a bit odd that he would suddenly vanish like this?" Alecto purred in her ear while not breaking her brother's gaze.

"Well, to be honest, not really. I mean he always is getting into some sort of trouble, now ain't he? I'm just surprised that Hermione and Ron are still around and not with him. They always are together, ya know?" Rachel lied almost with ease, forcing a laugh. "He's probably off playing hero again."

"Oh we know," he added dropping Rachel's chin. "That's why we have been questioning his friends about his whereabouts. So far they haven't been able to tell us anything of use."

Swallowing hard she tried to not show any emotions as the images of her beaten friends appeared in her mind. "Ah… is that why they are covered in bruises?" she asked quietly.

_Gotcha_, he thought hearing her question.

Rachel caught the glint in his eye, and the almost inaudible laugh. Even though she had no clue what had caused his reaction…she knew she had said something wrong. The man motioned for his sister to join him across the room. It was a welcome relief when Aleto released her grip on Rachel's hair. Rubbing her sore scalp she watched the two huddled together, conversing in low whispers. Alecto let out a giggle as she cast a look back over her shoulder at the girl.

_Something is definitely not right_, Rachel thought, watching the death eater nod and then break apart from her brother.

Expecting her to return to her side, the girl was surprised when she instead headed toward the door. As she heard the door click shut her gut contracted quickly. Never in a million years did she think she would actually want one of Voldemort's followers to stay in the room with her. But there was something about the way her brother was staring at her that terrified the soul piercer to her core.

"Where is she goin'" she asked crossing her arms in front of her.

"Oh," he cooed, "she'll be right back…just needed to tell the headmaster something that she forgot to do earlier today. Not to worry love, she'll be back before you know it."

Snape was getting involved now. This was getting more serious by the second and so far that had been no signs of any rescue. She knew she had to keep her cool and buy some time. They were coming, they had to be coming, right? Nodding, Rachel watched at the man removed his wand from his belt.

"Can I tell you something, Amelia?" he asked twirling is wand in his fingers like a pencil. "Just a little secret between us."

"Of course, pro-er-fessor." Even calling him that left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Amycus silently lifted his wand and while still staring at the girl, pointed at the door. Rachel heard the lock engaged a second later. A cold sweat broke out across her freezing flesh. Making his way across the room the man folded his hands behind his back, wand between them.

"I don't recognize you," he stated bluntly looking up at her, "There aren't many students left so I know all of them."

The blood began to run cold in her veins. Her story was starting to unravel right before her eyes. She needed to do some quick patchwork to save her skin. "Well…I…I…don't really socialize with anyone outside the classroom. I'm _always _in the library studying…"

"Let me stop you right there," he snapped ending Rachel's explanation before it even got off the ground. "Any student here would know that you all haven't been allowed to study anywhere but in your dormitories all year. The library is strictly off limits."

His statement rendered the girl completely speechless. She had walked straight into his trap. Now she found herself as vulnerable as a rabbit with its foot caught in a snare. It was now time to try and chew her leg off in order to escape the hunter.

"I've never been one to follow the rules," she replied rather smugly, causing him to break into laughter.

"Oh well there's the fiery spirit of the redhead standing before me. Took you long enough to let that emerge. But then again I don't think you really _are_ a redhead, now are you?"

"That's yar assumption, but ya know what happens when ya assume? Ya make an ass out of you and…well in this case it would be just you," Rachel snapped.

What had happened? Of all the times for her inner lion to appear, being locked in a room with an evil wizard was not the best timing.

His laughter ended at her smart remark. Silently, he pointed his wand at her, and before Rachel could react she found her hands bound in front of her. Any bravery retreated instantly when she also found her feet had somehow been affixed to the floor. He had her right where he wanted her as she strutted up to her.

"Okay, we can do this the hard or the easy way, soul piercer. Where is Potter?" he spat causing his spit to hit her face.

"Go to hell," she growled.

"Oh we are already there, and soon you will see that," he stated.

Dropping his wand to his side he muttered something Rachel couldn't understand. Her eyes grew wide as she watched his wand grow right before her. He brandished his newly created wooden rod to the girl. The movement was so fast she didn't even see him raise it above his head. All she heard was the swish as it sliced through the air before it made contact with her side with a loud crack. The sharp pain from the blow caused her to cry out and drop to her knees grasping her ribs. Even under the robe and button up she could feel the welt rising.

"And in hell…we have ways of making you talk," he hissed, bringing the rod down across her back.


	19. Chapter 19: Safe at Last

**Chapter 19: Safe at Last**

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, her voice shaking, "Where is she, Harry?"

"What's going on, mate?" Ron questioned watching his friend run his fingers through his messy black hair.

Leaning back against the wall Harry placed his head in his hands. How could he have been so foolish? How did he not see the connection between this and Sirius? Voldemort had done the same thing two years ago and his rash actions back then had cost him his godfather. Perhaps he didn't see the similarities because Rachel had come to him with her own vision? Never did he think that fake images could be implanted in her brain as well. Never mind all that… he was ashamed to admit he was in the exact same spot as in the Ministry.

"I…I saw you all being tortured for information about where we were. Rachel saw the same thing at . . . the… exact… _same_… _time_. How could I be so stupid not to be suspicious?" he growled his face still placed in his hands. "We thought you were in trouble and came to get you lot out of here."

"Okay, so that explains why you are here…but _where _is she now?" Hermione said, trying to keep her composure. "You said death eaters have her?"

"Yeah, I think so at least… they stopped her in the hall…"

"Why wasn't she under the cloak too?!" Hermione snapped. "How could you let her walk around without that protection? She's a muggle, Harry!"

"Hermione…" Ginny started placing a hand on Harry's arm.

She knew instantly that she was directing her fear/anger at the wrong person and immediately apologized. It was just the thought that after all this time…after all the months that she had no clue where her girlfriend had been…all those months she had been safe, she risked it all to once again come save her. Now the first time Rachel was out of her hiding place since summer, she had been captured. It was the Forbidden Forest all over again.

"It's okay, Hermione…I'm angry at myself for letting them take her. But she was making me promise that I would come save you first when they showed up," Harry stated looking up at his friends. "Don't worry though I don't think they know who she is. I changed her appearance, that's why she wasn't under the cloak. I knew we both couldn't fit so I tried to make her look a student."

"But she's American…" Ron stated.

"I changed her voice, too. Actually at the moment she's Irish," Harry said, a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "Very Irish."

"Who took her?" Ginny asked, watching Hermione wringing her hands nervously.

"I don't know… I didn't recognize them. They said something about taking her to the dungeon…"

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all exchanged a scared look. They knew who had stopped them…the Carrows. The brother and sister had been appointed at the new Defense Against the Dark Art and Muggles Studies professors, respectfully. As well as their teaching duties they also were now Deputy Headmaster and mistress. This meant they were in charge of punishment, and the trio knew what that meant. They had seen their handiwork throughout the school on the faces and bodies of their fellow students. If the Carrows did indeed have Rachel as they fear, they knew what possible shape they could find her in.

"There's no time to waste," Hermione whispered at the siblings who nodded in agreement.

Harry watched the three react as if they had rehearsed it a thousand times. Hermione bolted from the room and up the stairs toward the dormitories. Ginny began to scribble frantically on a piece of paper, while Ron stood by the fireplace seemingly keeping guard. The boy who lived was impressed watching his friends. It was like they knew that one day he would be coming for them and they had been well prepared. Soon Hermione's footsteps could be heard returning just as Ginny finished up whatever she was writing. With a stiff not toward her brother, she promptly crumpled the note up and tossed toward the fire. In the same instant Ron pointed his wand at the flames causing them to turn a bright blue as the paper landed on the logs. They smiled at each other as Hermione entered the room carrying a messenger bag about her shoulder.

"Okay, the Order's been notified that Harry's here and to be on the lookout," Ron said as he tucked his wand back in his pants pocket.

"And I have all our stuff," Hermione added tapping the bag that looked as though it was empty instead of carrying the supplies for three people.

"Let's go get Rachel back," Ginny smiled.

"Right," Harry stated with his own nod, snapping out of his self-pity.

The cloak was over head before they had even made it to the passage way.

"Don't worry about that," Ron said gently tugging on the cloak. "The halls are pretty much are always empty now."

"I noticed that," Harry whispered as the portrait swung open. "Where is everyone?"

An uncomfortable silence filled the air and after a moment Ginny cleared her throat. "They sent the non-pureblood students away. Snape they didn't want their kind tainting the integrity of the school…"

_He has room to talk about tainting the integrity of Hogwarts_, Harry thought pulling the cloak off.

"Then why…" he began to ask cautiously looking at his best friend.

With a shrug of her shoulders Hermione cast a look back. The group had been trying to figure out why she was the only muggle-born still in the school. They had their theories; most of them involving Harry. But she had one of her own…she was bait for her girlfriend, and where Rachel went Harry would no doubt her right behind. With a shudder she realized, walking through the cold castle, that she had sadly once again been correct.

Silently, the group made their way into the darkened hallway. The small talk was kept to a minimum between them, even though the trio was bursting to get information. Harry expressed that he was impressed by their obviously well-rehearsed escape plan.

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle despite the current situation. "Now, how long have you known us, Harry? You think that we wouldn't have started to prepare for a speedy departure the moment we got back here?"

With a smile, he nodded. He should have guessed that they would have done something like this preparation. After being involved in numerous "adventures" and plans…most, meaning all of them, never worked out. Of course they would have had a backup plan if he showed up early.

Ron was right. The halls very similar to the wizard and soul piercer's earlier walk lay completely deserted. Not once did Harry have to fling the cloak back over him to hide himself. The moment they stepped on the stairs they began to move and shift. It seemed like it took forever before they stopped and were allowed to moving to the next level.

To most it would have felt like a real life video game, were every move has to me meticulously thought out. But to these four it was anything but that…there were no extra live, no power ups. If they failed they would not be able to start over. This feeling was becoming an all too familiar feeling amongst the group. The feeling that at any moment one of their lives could be violently taken. But yet they stand by one another…willing to die for each other, and for the girl in the dungeons. Finally, after a few more moves they felt like they were making progress. Only one more flight and they would be on the same floor, and only fifteen minutes behind Rachel.

Hermione had a glimmer of hope. Perhaps they would reach her before she suffered the Carrows wrath? The group raced down the moving stairs in preparation to break into a full out sprint once they stopped. Hermione was the first to step onto the stone floor, and no sooner had she done this when she felt a tug on the back of her shirt. She didn't know why but she suddenly found herself being pulled behind a corner. A few seconds later she realized why Ron had grabbed her.

She had been so engrossed in her own world that she hadn't seen the shadowy figure, or the click of the heels that were approaching them. From there hiding spot they watched Alecto step onto the stair case they had been standing on moments before. The death eater appeared to have a slight spring in her step and she scampered up the steps.

"Wonder where she's headed?" Ron whispered to the others, watching her disappear.

"Who cares," Ginny added as the group stepped out of the darkness of the shadows. "It's one less person we have to worry about, right?"

The long hallway lined with cells stretched before them. Who knew where Rachel was being held? The other question that was still troubling the brunette…was her girlfriend still with Amycus?

This question was answered a second later when what could described as a whip crack and a scream sounded. The blood instantly ran cold in Hermione's veins and without thinking twice she bolted down the corridor.

X X X

From her knees Rachel looked up at the death eater. He smirked down at the girl before swinging his cane down across her back. It took every effort of the girl to not pass out from the pain. She knew he was going to try and break her to get information about Harry. But she wasn't going to crack, she mentally swore to herself. They would kill her before she would give any information up.

"Now, girl, answer me this," he hissed encircling her like a vulture, "how many letters does the word, don't have?"

"Four," Rachel wheezed, feeling welts rising on her flesh.

"Very good…spell it."

His movements were so incredibly fast there was no way to react or prepare her body for the blow. The first lash landed horizontally across her shoulders. With another scream she tried to remain on her knees… instead on her face.

"I didn't hear you, soul piercer," he snarled kicking her in the stomach, "SPELL IT!"

Trembling and coughing she struggled to collect the air to say, "D-D…"

The next crack struck her directly down her spine, and caused the tears to start to build.

"O…"

_CRACK _

"N…please stop!" she cried as her tears began to flow.

"Funny," he laughed, knowing the pain he was putting her through, "you had no trouble mouthing off to me earlier, Rachel."

"I'm Amelia!" she cried not giving up on her lie, "I'm not Rachel…"

Two stripes in quick succession caused her to scream and face-plant. She could feel her back burn and her shirt sticking to her flesh in some places. It was apparent that her back was bleeding from the lashes.

"That was for lying to me…" he said giving her a quick jab in her side, "I suggest that you start telling me the truth or you are going to get a lot worse."

_It couldn't get any worse_, she thought curling in the fetal position waiting for more blows to rain down on her. They weren't coming; they should have been here by now. Maybe Harry had been caught? Maybe they had been too late to save them others? Maybe…maybe he just saved and left her to the mercy of the death eaters? No, he would never betray her like that, they would never leave her. The throbbing of the lashes she had endured was causing her to not be able to think straight. She just hoped she would pass out soon from the pain before she said something unintentionally from the agony.

Once again the events that occurred next happened so quickly that nothing registered to the beaten girl. She felt herself slipping away into the blackness of unconscious when she felt the air around her vibrate. The room was suddenly filled with dust that caused her to snap them shut instantly to save her vision. Voices were shouting, but she couldn't distinguish one from another above the ringing in her head. Then out of the haze she felt a touch on her shoulder that caused her to relax.

Rachel felt the binds of her hands disappear and her feet break loose from the magical hold. Gently she was rolled over on her back and cradled in familiar arms. A light touch caressed her cheek causing her to smile despite her injuries. Creaking her eyes slowly open, she knew what going to see before they were fully focused. The most beautiful chocolate eyes, glistened with tears, stared down at her.

"Hi, baby," Rachel whispered, and ignoring the burn, threw her arms around Hermione's neck. "I've missed you…"


	20. Chapter 20: Whole Once Again

**Chapter 20: Whole Once Again**

The warmth from Rachel's embrace went straight to Hermione's core. There had been a dream holding her girlfriend in her arms every night since she had gone into hiding. Now here she was in her arms once again, only this wasn't the sunshine filled fantasy she had envisioned. Instead Hermione was sitting on the stone cold floor of a dark dungeon cradling her barely conscious love in her arms. This wasn't the face of her girlfriend either. She had longed to stare into Rachel's blue oceans for eyes instead of brown ones very similar to her own. At that moment her reality seemed more like the dream, then any of her other ones.

The only thing that confirmed this really was _her_ Rachel was the instant connection she felt when her arms were around her. It was like she was complete…her soul was one again. Every worry, every fear that had plagued her for five long months melted away. Feelings Rachel's arms around her caused her heart to flutter. She needed to hold her as well so Hermione wrapped her arms around the muggle causing her to yelp.

Pulling back she smiled at Hermione, "Sorry, babe, ya just hit a sore spot," she said staring at her.

Rachel couldn't believe it; she was gazing at_ her_, not at a picture. The soul piercer was once again in the room with her Gryffindor, with her arms around her. Despite the beating she had just suffered this was the happiest she had been in months.

But her happiness retreated for she had reached the moment that she had fear back in Grimmuld Place. It was time to look into her eyes…to make that connection… and see what awaited her. Inhaling deeply she slowly raised her eyes once again and peered into the depth of Hermione's soul. Most of the flashes were ones she had already seen. There were glimpses of her childhood, earlier days before their meeting, and even a few of their more special moments together. Then it began, she watched the days since she found out Rachel was missing.

It was hard to watch and even harder to feel the emotions the witch had been experiencing for almost half a year. It got to the point that Rachel thought she was going to suffocate from the constant tightness that she felt through Hermione's visions. It was agonizing for her to see what she once again had put her girlfriend through. As the soul piercer slowly blinked she broke the connection and now stared into the eyes that were before her. In those eyes she saw concern, worry, and above all the love that she feared wouldn't be there. Rachel felt the knot around her heart loosen. It hadn't matter that she put her through hell, Hermione still loved her and nothing could change that.

Relief rushed through her instantly knowing that she hadn't once again lost the love of her life. The tension headache from stress began to lift and her vision began to pull back from the witch's eyes. Now she was seeing the full picture of her beautiful girlfriend and what she saw registered causing a choked laugh to escape.

"Yar…yar not hurt!" she cried touching her face to be sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, "I saw ya being tortured by them, and ya were all beaten up…"

Inside Rachel felt like she was going to burst. It was the first time that one of her warnings had been completely wrong, and it couldn't have happened at a better time. Giddiness and a mix of endorphins, from the pain, pulsated through her body. Forgetting about her lashes she tried to pull Hermione tightly to her while shifting into a more comfortable position. The only place she wished to remain was in her arms for as long as possible.

"Don't…you're _hurt_!" Hermione cried, watching her face contort in pain.

"I'm fine," she lied.

"No you're not, baby. I can see it in your eyes. You're in pain," she said, placing her hands on the side of the muggle's face.

"Ah, I think I'll live…after all this is nothing. I did get stabbed last year, remember?" Rachel joked trying to erase the tears in her girlfriend's eyes. "Tis but a flesh wound this time."

Hermione bit her bottom lip to stop the giggle that wanted to escape. That accent coming out of her all-American girl was hilarious to her. But now was not the time for humor. "Quit trying to take care of me and my emotions," she whispered as she hugged her tightly once again.

Oh, how she had missed this, and for a long time she never thought she would get to do it again. After all, it hadn't even five minutes ago she had heard the scream of the muggle and the crack of the wooden rob on her flesh. The sounds of the torture caused Hermione to snap and leaving the rest of the group behind. The ten second sprint felt like a ten hour marathon run to her only to be met with a locked door at the end of the hall.

"I'm not Rachel!" she had heard her scream followed by two more loud cracks.

The sound made her instantly nauseous, leaving her imagination to run wild about what was going on behind the door. Hearing her screams made her completely forget that she was a witch. Instead she felt like a muggle girl, who was beyond helpless. It wasn't until she head the footsteps rapidly approaching from behind did she snap back into her reality. Harry had his wand pointed at the door causing her jump out of the way of his spell.

"Bomarda!" he cried, causing the door hinges to explode.

Once the dust began to settle Hermione saw the horrific scene before her. Amycus stood above the limp, red headed girl, now had his wand pointed at the group of teens. "What the hell is this?" he cried squinting through the explosion aftermath.

"What are you doing to her?" Hermione screamed at the sight of her girlfriend bound and curled in a fetal position.

"Teaching her a little lesson about mouthing off," he sneered giving her a quick jab with his shoe.

Rachel didn't even seem to be fazed by the kick from the man. For a brief moment they all feared the worse and instantly broke into hysterics. All at once they were shouting commands and barking orders at the death eater. The man simply laughed, shouting his own responses back to them. Seeing the group of students, plus the famous lightning bolt scar, confirmed that he had been right all along. The dark lord's plan had worked perfectly… now all he had to do was stall them long enough for his sister to return. Obviously this had not worked out the way he had hoped.

"How bad is it?" a voice sounded causing Rachel to be pulled from the trance of her girlfriend's eyes.

Everything from the moment she opened her eyes had been so focused on Hermione that Rachel had completely disregarded the others in the room until then. Turning about the room she grinned at her fellow redheads, they really _did_ look like they were related, and the black haired boy, who was avoiding her gaze. Guilt was written all over his face and Rachel could see it instantly. She forced a grin in hopes of making him feel better.

"Boy, I am glad to see ya guys!" she laughed, her arms still wrapped around Hermione's neck. "This guy was starting to become a pain in me arse…"

"How bad is it?" Harry repeated looking at the ground, "be honest with me."

"Ah, I've been spanked by me folks before. Course I can't remember what that felt like, but I would assume very close to this," Rachel joked noticing a dark mass behind her.

Crumpled in the corner apparently unconscious was her torturer. With a smile she motioned with her head, "What happened to him?"

A grin slowly crept across Hermione's face. "Stunner spell…he should be out for a while."

"Brilliant!" Rachel cried in her accent which caused her to giggle.

Loosening her grip around her girlfriend Rachel allowed her to stand. Unfolding her legs from underneath her Hermione stood and reached out a hand to help her up. Her back was on fire and it was hard for her not wince as she was gently pulled to her feet. The whipping she had taken definitely had been worse than any punishment she had as a child. The Gryffindor knew that she was hurt a lot worse than she was letting on.

"Let me take a look," she said once Rachel was on her feet.

"No, I'll be okay, babe. Besides we should probably get out of here before his sister comes back," Rachel responded.

"Please…"

Looking around the room she saw three other concerned eyes locked on her. With a sigh she realized she was outnumbered and it was a battle she was going to lose. Grimacing she removed the black robe. From behind her she heard the sharp gasp from Ginny…she hadn't even lifted her shirt yet to reveal her bare flesh.

_This is not going to be a good reaction_, she thought untying the tie.

A few more moments and the buttons were undone to the white shirt. Swallowing the lump in her throat she slowly turned and dropped the button up, leaving her standing there in a plain white t-shirt. Rachel heard Hermione inhale sharply when she saw the blood on her shirt. With a groan the muggle reached above her head and grasped the bottom of her shirt to pull it up to her shoulders.

The others in the room directed their eyes to the ground…all except Hermione. She stared at the bloody welts that crossed her girlfriend's back and side. Her flesh was raised, red, and starting to turn a purple-blue bruise. In a couple places where two lashes had crossed blood was brought to the surface and this also brought tears to her eyes. Slowly she approached the girl and gently took her t-shirt so that Rachel could drop her arms, she knew that holding her arms in that position had to be painful.

Jumping at her girlfriend's touch Rachel allowed her cold hands to gently touch her burning flesh. Though she had no idea what it looked like she could tell from the silence in the room that it had to be pretty bad.

"Well?" she whispered.

"It looks painful," was Hermione's response, choking with tears.

"I'm sorry…" came Harry's voice through the awkward silence in the room. "I never should have brought you here. I should have realized it was a trap."

"Ya couldn't have known, Harry. He tricked both of us, didn' he? I saw them hurt too, remember, and I was practically biting yar head off to get ya out of the house. Ya don't need to blamin' yarself," Rachel said turning to the boy with green eyes. "Ya came after me, didn' ya?"

With a smile she took a step toward her companion of the last few months. His look was serious, sad, and guilt-ridden. Ignoring the pain she enveloped him a giant bear hug and squeezed him tightly. Harry did his best to return the hug without touching her back. Once he released her, she turned toward the Weasley siblings. Flashing them a goofy grin she leapt onto the pair of them nearly toppling them to the ground. Soon Ginny's laughter broke the serious atmosphere that had settled over the room.

"How are my favorite brother and sister?" Rachel joked and pulled at her hair, "whatcha think, think I can pass as one of ya lot?"

"I dunno, if you are cool enough to be a Weasley," Ron laughed releasing her from his hug. "It's something you are born or marry into…we are like an exclusive club. We don't let just anyone in."

Rachel laughed. It was just like old times with of the five of them back together again. Even in the darkest of circumstances they could not be totally serious.

"All right, as much as I hate to break up the reunion, perhaps we can continue it when we get out of here," Hermione said.

Flashing a smile Rachel said, "Always the practical one, ya are."

"As I recall it is one of the traits you like best about me," she retorted as she walked up to the group. Then leaning into Rachel, she whispered, "And I have been waiting to be alone with you for a long time."

The muggle's cheeks instantly turned the same color as her hair. "Right!" she cried clapping her hands, "Shall we go?"

The group slowly filed from the room into the hallway. Once again they had to play the real life video game to advance to the next level. Huddled together, Rachel in the center for protection, they began the tedious and agonizingly slow staircase dance once again. As much as she hated it, Rachel wished that at that moment they could just apparate out of the school. It was painful for her to be on her feet and all she wanted was to be taken care of like she knew Hermione would once they were safe.

Finally, they reached the third floor with the one-eyed witch passage. Once the stairs stopped the group broke into a run. They knew they all had been pressing their luck being out in the castle as long as they had and wanted to be under cover quickly. Their tennis thudded as the herd raced through the silent hallway. Harry was the first to reach the statue and he began the process of opening the wall, something he had done several times before.

From the middle of crowd, Rachel watched the black haired boy pull his wand out and point it at the wall. He stood there for a second before he did it again…and then again. She then watched as Harry walked up to the wall and tried to pull on it using his fingers. Something definitely was not right…

"God damnit!" he shouted, forgetting about keeping a low profile.

"What's going on?" Ron asked, joining his friend behind the one-eyed witch.

"It-it's sealed shut…I can't open it!" Harry stammered and desperately began to claw at the stone. "How can this be? We just came in this way!"

"Perhaps, you should have thought things through a little more…Mister Potter."

Fear ran up the spine of every student at the sound of the familiar voice. Rachel felt Hermione grab her hand and pull her behind her. She wasn't going to let her be taken again…not over her dead body. The group of adolescents turned to face what obstacle fate had thrown in their path. The muggle felt her stomach instantly knot in fear as her terrified eyes locked with not only Alecto but also the dark eyes of Headmaster Snape.


	21. Chapter 21: This is the Moment

**Chapter 21: This is the Moment**

"Snape," Harry spat as if he tasted something foul.

Rachel watched as the headmaster's eyes narrow at his former student's tone. To his left Alecto stood her eyes blazing at the group of students and her wand outstretched. Out of the corner of her eye, the muggle saw movement coming up the hall. As the shape came into focus her heart began to drum as she realized her torturer had finally come to and now joined the other death eaters. Though the adults were outnumbered the adolescents were still terrified.

"I'm glad to see you are as gullible as always," Snape sneered focusing solely on the carbon copy of James. "Your arrogance that you have, to once again save the world, has gotten you into yet another dangerous situation. At least this time you brought a gift for the dark lord."

"But first I have a little meeting I have to finish with her," Amycus hissed flashing an evil grin that caused Rachel's flesh to crawl.

Hermione's grip on her girlfriend's wrist tightened while her other hand immediately shot to her back pocket. Instantly the muggle knew that she was willing to fight to keep her safe…something she prayed would not have to happen. Harry let out a chuckle as he and Ron joined the girls.

"What's so funny?" Aletco snapped.

Shaking his head Harry stepped up beside Rachel. "You act like we're actually going to let you near her," he laughed, and as if on cue Ron and Ginny stepped in front of the young woman. "Go ahead and try it…I _dare_ you."

"No," Rachel spoke up without thinking, "I'm not letting ya all get hurt because of me!"

It was the death eaters' turn to laugh. They knew what awaited her when they would present her to their master. If only she knew what they knew then perhaps she wouldn't be so willing to volunteer herself to be taken.

"Perhaps you should listen to her," Snape said, locking eyes with Rachel, "It would save you all from injuries that don't need to occur. But I'm afraid you would be joining her as well, Potter."

"If you want him, you will have to go through all of us!" Ron cried throwing an arm in front of his best friend. "They came here to save us and we aren't going to let you have them!"

Before her eyes, Rachel watched as wands were drawn by both sides. It was her worse nightmare turned reality. Her friends were willing to protect her and yet she had no way to defend them. Wrapping her hand around Hermione's arm she gently squeezed it, hoping that by her simple touch she would back down. She didn't want any of them to fight for her…especially Hermione.

The witch's grip on her wrist released and she used her hand to push the muggle closer to Harry. They all knew without even speaking it the main goal was to protect soul piercer and the boy who lived. After all the two would not have come out of hiding if they hadn't of thought the trio was in danger. Harry had been their savior numerous times over the past six years, and the Forbidden Forest last year still needed to be paid off in their minds.

"Please," Rachel whispered, tugging on Hermione's sweater, "Just let me go with them so ya don't get hurt. I will figure some way to escape, just try and get Harry out of here. I don't want him anywhere near Voldemort! Don't fight them…we just found each other again. And I want to spend a long and happy life with ya."

A lump formed in the witch's throat…once again Rachel was trying to look after her. The muggle trying to bargain for the life of a witch when it should be the other way around. Hermione remembered her vow that she had made in staring out the giant hole in the muggle's room. She would never allow Rachel to be in danger ever again but first she needed to get her back to safety of the Weasley household.

"Exactly," Hermione hissed, her eyes locked ahead on the professors, "Which is why I am not letting anyone take you. Now _shut up_ and let me protect you for once!"

As the stare down continued Rachel tried to figure out a way out of this situation that didn't result in a fight. So far she was coming up on empty and she knew based on the tension that the first spell would be cast at any moment. Her eyes felt like she was watching a tennis match as they continued to bounce between the two groups.

"Well," Amycus finally asked after about two minutes of silence, "What are you lot going to do? You have no way out of here, might as well give up and at least stay alive. Two for three is not a bad deal."

Out of the corner of her eye Rachel saw a glint in Harry's emerald eyes. She knew what that look, having seen it a couple times before…the last time being in her room back in the States. He had a plan, and knowing him it would be a crazy one. She felt him reach down and squeeze her hand which she knew meant, "Do you trust me?"

With a squeeze back she answered as she always did, "with my life."

"Sorry," his voice sounded causing the others to shift, "We only play all or nothing…and I don't think you have a winning hand tonight."

Even though she couldn't see the others she knew that they were smiling at his smartass comment. Before the chuckle had even left her mouth she felt him inhale. "Stupefy!"

His shout seemed to have signaled the others. Before it even registered to the muggle that it had happened, three more spells had been cast at the professors. Rachel didn't even get to see if they had hit there mark before she felt a tug on her shirt sleeve. Her terrified mind seemed to have shut off, but luckily her body was still acting on instincts. Turning she bolted, running full speed down the hall, her hand tightly gripping Harry's jacket sleeve. She had no clue where he was taking her but he had never put her in harm's way before. Behind her Rachel heard her friend's sprinting right on their heels.

Above her head a streak of red bounced off the wall. The teens had gotten the jump on the adults, but not a big enough for them to have an easy escape. The group of teens ducked and dodged as different spells nearly missed them with every step.

"What's the plan?!" Ron shouted after casting stunner spell over his shoulder. "This hall comes to a dead end around the corner!"

"Exactly!" Harry cried, launching his own spell.

"Harry! Ya aren't planning on doing what I think ya are doing, are ya?" Rachel asked, turning the corner, nearly loosing traction of her tennis shoes.

A smirk appeared on the boy's face confirming what she thought. She knew of only one escape planned they had used, and it was apparent he was planning on using it again.

Turning her attention to the hall she was running she saw something glinting in the torch light 100 yards ahead of them. "Are you mental?!" she cried, once her mind registered that she was staring at an enormous plate glass window.

"We need to get outside and off Hogwart's grounds in order to appareate," he stated keeping his expression calm and cool, "since we can't go out the way we came, we need to make our own. Ginny, buy us a few minutes!"

With a nod the girl pointed her wand over her shoulder. Then with a quick glance at her target shouted, "confringo."

A tapestry that hung on the wall was struck by the spell. Within seconds there was a loud pop as it exploded into flames and then fell directly into the path of the perusing death eaters. The flames would only last a few moments and the witch knew this fact. So as they neared the end of the hall she struck more and more objects leaving the hallway behind them littered with flames.

Rachel and Harry were ahead of the pack headed toward the window. After he had successfully blown up yet another piece of school property he grabbed her shirt sleeve. "Last time we had your broom, remember?" she shrieked, the memories of their last terrifying dive flashing in her mind, "so unless you have a broom shoved somewhere that I don't want to even think about…"

"Trust me!"

Without another word the trio watched their friends pause only briefly to hop/ be dragged up on the window ledge before they leapt out the shattered window. One second they were there the next they were swallowed by the darkness. The girls couldn't contain the scream of their significant other's name. For a very brief second they thought that Harry had done the unthinkable…that with the fear of both being captured he had not only committed suicide but had taken the soul piercer with him.

It wasn't until they heard the command of aresto momentum did they realize this was in fact the escape plan. Hermione knew instantly that based on the shape Rachel's room had been found this was not the first time this strategy had been used. Releasing the breath that she had been holding, she reached the ledge first. With the flames still aglow behind her, and Ginny igniting more and more things Hermione hopped on the ledge. Peering out of the broken shards of glass she said a silent prayer before looking down. Even though she had clearly heard Harry's spell, she was still scared that when she looked down she would find their broken bodies. To her relief she watched Rachel pop to her feet. She watched as her girlfriend then turned and punched Harry full force in the arm, even from three stories up she could hear the anger in her voice.

"Ya scared the absolute piss out of me ya arse-hole!" she screamed, absolutely furious at him, "I fucking hate you!"

"Oi! I got you out of there, didn't I? And I saved _your _ass…AGAIN!" he shouted back grabbing his now throbbing arm.

The muggle was not an angry person by any means, and it took quite a lot for her to become enraged. But at that moment with the mix of adrenaline and fear coursing through her body she found herself seeing red. Yes, Harry had saved her life yet again, but this time he had gone too far. She trusted him…but she had been left out of the full extent of his plan and could have been killed in the escape on both occasions.

"Yeah, but ya almost gave me a fucking heart attack. Plus, ya left the others up there with the death eaters! Did you forget _they_ were the whole reason we came in the first place?"

"I didn't forget," he growled, "but they have powers to protect themselves…you don't… you're a bloody muggle!"

"Ya don't have to keep reminding me I'm not 'special" like you lot!" she snapped, flinging her arms out.

"Hermione, they all right?"

Turning back into the school she saw that the Weasley siblings had joined her at the window. The fires were being extinguished rapidly by the adults and they were getting closer by the second.

"Yeah, but we better get down there before they kill us, or Rachel kills Harry," Hermione said as she made eye contact with Amaycus through the smoke.

Without a moment's hesitation the remaining adolescents completed their own swan dives out the third floor window. The fall air rushed around them as they fell through the night air. It was Hermione's turn to cast her own spell to slow their rapid decent. Stopping a few inches above the ground they hovered there momentarily before falling face first into the grass. They had all managed to make it out of the castle in one piece; the only thing that seemed to have been damaged was the relationship between the muggle and wizard. It appeared that heartfelt apology that had taken place in the tunnel was completely forgotten.

"Fucking keep him away from me before I choke him," Rachel hissed, making her way over to her standing girlfriend.

"You should be thanking me not threatening me!" Harry retorted

"Enough!" Hermione interrupted before Rachel could form her next comment. "Look we need to just hold it together until we get to the Burrow, then you can continue to tear into each other. Until then…you…" she turned to face her girlfriend, "shut it!"

"But I…"

Clamping a hand over Rachel's mouth Hermione locked eyes with the still unfamiliar brown ones, "I said shut it, Rachel. Don't make me treat you like a toddler."

The brown eyes narrowed into an angry glare. Hermione swore that any moment the black eyes were going to make an appearance. This only happened when the soul piercer lost control of her emotions when peering into another's soul. The stronger of the two emotions would consume her and change her personality. Not only would her personality grow black and dark, but her eyes did as well.

_Maybe that spell changed her personality, too, _she thought removing her hand from Rachel's mouth.

"Fine," Rachel responded through gritted teeth, her nostrils flaring. "I still hate him, though."

"Trust me…the feeling is mutual," Harry hissed, crossing her arms in front of his chest.

"Uh, guys I hate to break this up but…"

The group all followed Ron's trembling finger that was pointed from the very window they had leapt from. Silhouetted in window was a person, their features unrecognizable in the contrast from the dark night and the lit castle. From either side of the figure two pillars of smoke shot out into the fall night.

"Ah fuuuuuuuck…" Rachel said, watching the smoke fly toward the ground.

"Run!" Ginny screamed causing everyone to break into a dash.

Through the darkness the teens raced for the boundary of the school grounds. All they had to do was to take one step over the border and they would be able to apparate. Behind her, Rachel heard the familiar sound of cloaks fluttering. Every memory of the last two times she had heard that instantly gripped her core. Terror filled her causing her heart to race and her breathing to constrict. Now was not the time to have a panic attack but she felt one coming on. Her vision began to tunnel and soon she found herself falling behind in the pack.

Out of the fog of her mind she heard Harry scream, "Appareate the second you are able!"

"What about…"

"Don't worry about me!" Rachel found herself answering Hermione's unasked question. "I'll see you in the Burrow."

There were two cracks in quick succession signaling that two had appareated. With a quick shake of her head Rachel shook loose the haze and saw that only she and the two boys had not reached the Forbidden Forest. Part of her was relieved to know that Hermione was out of harm's way for the time being…she only hoped that she soon would be joining her. This thought was instantly erased when she felt a bolt of lightning pass through her body.

The cruciatous curse was not as strong or painful as ones she previously had experienced at the hand of Bellatrix Lestrange, but it still caused her to crumple to the ground. Rolling on the ground she screamed in agony hoping that somehow that her screams would cause the pain to subside. From her fetal position she felt he ground tremble and heard a growl. Instantly the pain vanished and upon lifting her pounding head she saw Harry wrestling with Amaycus.

"Come on," Ron cried, scooping her up from under her arms.

Her feet were failing her as she was literally pulled to her feet by the red headed young man. Between everything that was going on her body was not recovering fast enough for her to be anything else other than dead weight. As she was being pulled backwards she watched the boy wizard wrestle the death eater, and he wasn't winning against the adult. Raising a fist Amaycus connected with Harry's cheekbone causing his glasses to fly off his face.

"No!" Rachel screamed and tried to race toward her friend, all animosity instantly vanishing. She was watching one of her best friend get the snot kicked out of him and she knew she needed to help…she didn't need magic to be able to do that. Immediately, she began to fight Ron's support to rush to Harry's side.

"Remember what we said!" Harry sputtered, blood oozing from his mouth from his latest received punch. "Ron, remember what we said!"

The grip on Rachel's biceps tightened as if that statement had some sort of power over it. It took everything that she possessed to try and fight Ron's hold on her. To her horror she realized that he was pulling her further away from the emerald eyed boy not toward him.

"What are ya doing?!" she screamed, kicking and swearing, "We have to save him, we have to help Harry…Harry!"

Before she could prepare herself she felt the familiar feeling of being squeezed through a key hole. She was being apparated away and without her savior. He was being beaten because he had come back for her, she had couldn't leave him behind. Without thinking twice she rammed her elbow into Ron's side causing him to release his grip on her one arm. Reaching out she desperately screamed Harry's name, hoping by some act of God he would fly into her outstretched hand. The world began to shrink around her and before she realized it she felt everything rush away from her. Soon she found herself screaming…screaming in desperation, horror, and pain.

Harry heard the familiar sound of an apparition and knew that Rachel was safe. Breathing a sigh of relief he stopped fighting and allowed his hand to drop to his side…a laugh releasing from his body. Amaycus sat on the young man's chest and grin of pure delight spread across his face.

"What's up, Potter?"

A bloody grin spread across Harry's face as he whispered, "She's safe."

"But you're not," he chuckled and with a single punch, Harry's world went completely black.


	22. Chapter 22: Never Again

**Chapter 22: Never Again**

Twisting, spinning, falling, screaming, and intense pain…that was all that was registering to the soul piercer. Ron's grip on her upper arm was like a vice while he was obviously struggling to regain control of her other arm, but she didn't even notice. This apparition felt longer than any of the others she had experienced, and it was much more painful. Her arm felt like it was one fire as they tumbled through time and space. Finally, when she was on the verge of passing out her world focused. With a hard thud she hit the ground, landing to the right of Ron. The cool air felt amazing on her clammy skin and she inhaled it deeply. The horrible feeling was gone, she could breathe again. Only something was still very wrong… she could not move her right arm.

"Shit," she heard Ron whisper as he struggled to sit up under her weight, "Don't panic! Don't panic! Hermione, Ginny, Mum, Dad, someone, we need you!"

Rachel didn't even need to ask what was wrong…she could feel the blood running down her forearm and fingers. Though surprisingly it didn't hurt too badly but she knew that was partly due to her being in shock. She also knew the second she looked at her arm she would register how badly she was hurt and feel the pain fully. It was an internal struggle for her not to look at the injury that had cause the alarm in Ron's voice. Eventually, she lost the battle and glanced down, immediately wishing she hadn't. Her right arm starting just above the elbow was nothing but blood. Through the gore she managed to make out where giant chunks of her flesh were gone revealing the muscle underneath. In that moment everything registered and she let out a bloodcurdling howl of pain.

Being stabbed felt like a paper cut compared to this agony. Her screams were uncontrollable as each new shock wave of pain surged up her arm. Closing her eyes she tried to pull her arm to her body to protect what was left of it, immediately spilling blood all over her white t-shirt.

By the time Hermione reached them, she found her girlfriend cover in her own blood. She and Ginny had heard the pop signaling that someone else had arrived but they had not seen who it was. Instantly, Ron's cries and Rachel's screams of pain caused her blood to run cold in her veins. Ginny had bolted toward her home to get anyone who was inside, while Hermione raced in the direction of the wails.

"Ron, what happened?!" she yelled over Rachel's howls, dropping to her knees.

Sweat was beading on the young man's forehead as he stared at the multitude of blood pouring from his friend's arm. He remembered when he left his eyebrow behind during his O.W.L.S. but this carnage was nothing compared to that. Honestly, it was even hard to tell if Rachel had any of her forearm left.

"Sh-she got sp-splinched," he stammered, ripping his jacket off. "She was reaching for Harry, and… and I apparated. I should have waited until I got my grip back…oh my god I'm so sorry!"

Hermione watched as he attempted to wrap Rachel's arm in it, in hopes of stopping the perfuse bleeding. Seeing her girlfriend in such a horrific state seemed have caused her to go into shock as well. Nothing seemed real. It felt like she was in the middle of some slasher movie. Once again she found herself staring at her bleeding girlfriend…when was it going to end? Reaching out her, own quacking hand Hermione tried to apply pressure to now soaked jacket.

"Don't touch me!" Rachel screamed, tears rolling down her face…even the light pressure of the cloth on her arm was excruciating.

In the darkness they could see that she was as white as a ghost and sweating despite it only being 60 degrees outside. Her insides were rolling and she could feel the moisture in her mouth increase. Swallowing hard she tried to get rid of the extra saliva but before she could, the familiar feeling of bile creeping up her esophagus appeared.

"I'm gonna be sick," she moaned before turning behind her to throw up narrowly missing Ron.

"We have to get her inside," Hermione cried, watching her head rolling around as Rachel fought to remain conscious before she slumped against her. "Come on, Rachel, I need you to stand up."

"It hurts!" she wailed, holding her arm close to her trembling body, "It hurts so fucking bad! Make it stop… please, Hermione, make it stop!"

"I know, baby," Hermione chocked, trying as gently as possible to grab under Rachel's armpit to lift her, "and I _promise_ we will make it stop hurting, but you have to stand up first."

"Come on Rach, up ya go," Ron said taking her uninjured side.

Hermione could tell that he was trying to stay calm, but he was never too good with the sight of blood. She knew that seeing this much pouring from one of his friends was making him uncomfortable and the fact that he was blaming himself didn't help with his nerves.

Another screech escaped Rachel as the very movement ignited the fire on her arm again. Once standing she tried to walk, having to lean on Ron for support, but they quickly found this was not going to be a speedy way back to the Weasely home. Each step was agonizing for the girl and caused a sob each time her arm shifted slightly. They could see the house come into view over the crest of the hill, but they still had a bit of a walk to get there. Just when she didn't think Rachel could take another step they spotted four figures race out of the house.

"Give her to me," Lupin stated as he reached the bloody girl.

Ron and Hermione allowed him and Bill to take hold of the barely with it muggle. Scooping her up in a basket hold the men turned and bolted to the lit home.

"Out of the way!" Bill cried pushing past his sister and father.

"Where's Harry?" Ginny asked as she ran beside Ron and Hermione.

On the sprint back Ron filled the girls in on what happened after they appareated. How Rachel had been struck by the crutiatous curse and Harry had flown to her rescue by tacking the death eater. Then he got to the hardest part of the recap…the part where he left his best friend behind and saved the soul piercer instead.

"How could you do that!?" Ginny screamed despite being winded from racing to her home.

"I had to…" Ron started but was interrupted by a shriek of pain.

For a moment everyone forgot about Harry. They knew they would get the full story later but right now Rachel was their focus. Stepping into the kitchen they saw the adults were about to lay her on the table. Hermione couldn't help herself as she cried out, "Her back!"

"Oh screw my back," Rachel snapped, as the men paused briefly before gently laying her down.

The group was surprised to see that it appeared that all available order members were in the kitchen. Some had never met Rachel before but they all stood around her try to calm her, and some restrained her from thrashing about from the pain.

"What happened?" Mrs. Weasley asked entering the room after hearing the commotion from upstairs. "Who's this?"

"It's Rachel, Mum!" Ginny cried reaching her friend's side. "Harry did a spell to change her appearance to sneak her into Hogwarts…"

"And she got splinched when I appareated," her son added dropping his head in shame.

From the table Rachel let out another scream as Tonks had begun to remove the jacket around her arm. The scream instantly ripped out Hermione's insides and caused her knees to nearly buckle. The usually bubbly Tonks looked up at everyone with a grim expression. "It looks pretty bad, Molly," she whispered, as not to frighten the girl. "She's lost a lot of blood."

"Hermione, where is she?" Rachel sobbed, letting her eyes close once again.

Her words seemed to snap the brunette back into reality. She had felt like she had been in a weird limbo since she had come upon the bloody scene in the field. Without hesitation she rushed to the head of the table.

"I'm right here baby," she soothed, running her fingers through the girl's pixie cut. "Don't worry we are going to fix you right up."

"Make it stop!" Rachel moaned, biting down on her bottom lip, "Cut my arm off, I don't even care. Just make the pain stop!"

"Rachel, look at me!"

Slowly, the muggle opened her eyes and focused on the face of the person she loved most in the world. Not even staring at her could calm her down or make her forget the immense pain she was in. But the second she made eyes contact, Hermione gasped and felt a smile pull at her lips. Looking up at her was the blue eyes she had longed to see for months. The spell was beginning to wear off right before her.

At that moment everything became real. She had been staring into unfamiliar brown eyes up until that point, but now they were the eyes she knew like her own caused everything to hit her at once. Tears appeared in her eyes and it took every ounce of strength for them not drop onto Rachel's insanely pale face.

"You are going to be fine," she stated, watching the muggle's hair grown and change in her hand with each comforting stroke. "Mrs. Weasley had something that will make it stop hurting. She just had to mix it up for you…"

Her last sentence trailed off as expectantly the muggle's eyes rolled back in her head. Shaking her shoulder gently, Hermione tried to bring her girlfriend back to consciousness. Before she could bring her back around she felt Rachel's body start to convulse and breathing became labored. It took everyone around the table to hold the girl down as she appeared to have gone into a seizure. This was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Hermione let out a sob and flung herself on top of Rachel to try and cradle her in her arms. As she clutched her against her chest the muggle continued to twitch for what felt like an eternity before Hermione finally felt her begin to calm. Opening her eyes she saw Mrs. Weasley, with the assistance of Tonks, was applying a liquid to the open wounds. The Essence of Dittany seeped in to Rachel's flesh and began to heal her skin. The gouges did not close completely but soon closed enough to give the impression they were several days old.

Exhaling loudly, Mrs. Weasley looked up into the tear filled eyes of the girl who was like a daughter to her. This was not how she pictured their reunion when the terrified girl showed up at the Burrow last August. The night should have been filled with laughter, hugs, kisses, tears of joy, not screams, blood, and tears of pain and fear. The mother forced a smile as she gently began to bandage Rachel's arm.

"She's going to be fine," she whispered, "what she needs right now is a lot of rest."

Nodding, Hermione turned her attention back to the now calm face of the muggle. Everything else in the room disappeared. All that she could focus on was the blood spattered shirt, gaping holes in Rachel's arm, and the extreme paleness of her face. It was hard not to flash back to the hospital wing when Hermione had found her girlfriend's lifeless body last year.

_Never again_, she thought as she leaned in and kissed Rachel's lips. _I am never going to let you get hurt like this ever again…I promise._


	23. Chapter 23: Falling Inside the Black

**Chapter 23: Falling Inside the Black**

"That's enough!"

Fist raised, chest heaving, Amycus stopped to look at who had barked the order. From the shadows he saw the dark haired, headmaster emerged. He had arrived just as Ron and Rachel appareated away. Luckily, for them he had arrived a few seconds too late or else he would have been forced to act. He knew there would be hell to pay for letting her escape but at least they weren't completely empty-handed.

"The Dark Lord is going to be enraged enough that you let the soul piercer escape. Now imagine what he will do if you kill Potter," he said, looking at the bloody faced boy.

"Well she might not have gotten away if you had done something about it!" he snapped, standing up. "You expected me to catch all five brats by myself…"

"I assumed an idiot would have been able to manage four, barely of age, witches and wizards and a _muggle_," Snape responded as he glided over to them. "I guess I was mistaken."

"Yeah… well…" Amycus sputtered, as he fought to find the words for a comeback, but he came up with nothing.

"Exactly, now grab the boy and take him to the Dark Lord. He is expecting you… "

"What about you? I'm not taking all the blame for this, Severus. You had equal opportunity to grab the girl," he growled, bending over and grabbing the front of Harry's jacket to lift his limp form.

"But I do believe that it was _you_ and _your sister_ that had her in the dungeons, am I correct? It was _you_ and _your sister_ who had her captured and in_ your_ possession when the others arrived. Are you sensing a pattern here, Amycus?" Snape responded.

Glaring at him, Amycus had to bite his tongue. For some reason Snape always seemed to be favored by their master. None of the death eaters knew why this to be the case. After all, he worked side by side with Dumbledore for years, and many of others questioned his loyalty because of this. He should be telling him off, but for fear of what possibly could happen because of it caused him to remain silent. The man already knew that he would need to convince the dark lord not to punish him for letting the soul piercer escape.

"Go," he hissed, waving his hand toward him.

With a growl the Carrow turned and apparated taking the unconscious young man with him. Inhaling loudly, Snape placed his face in his hand to steady himself. Trying to eliminate what he knew awaited Harry, he turned and proceeded to walk back to the school. In the pit of his stomach he couldn't shake the fact that he had just handed Lily's son over to face the wrath of Voldemort.

X X X

"What the fuck happened?!" Lupin snapped, pulling Ron aside.

The red-headed boy looked up at his former professor with scared eyes. Lupin was not an intimidating man but being so close to a full moon Ron swore he saw a glint of the werewolf in his eyes.

"You send a message that Harry's at Hogwarts…then you show up not only without him, but with Rachel, who is bleeding to death!" he growled, grabbing Ron's t-shirt collar.

"Remus!" Tonks said, stepping in between her husband and the adolescent.

Looking around the room he saw that all eyes were off the soul piercer and now focused on him. Inhaling deeply, he released his hold on the boy. Muttering an apology the man backed away and into the other room to calm himself. Tonks followed him, knowing that the man she loved was embarrassed by his outburst.

Straightening his shirt, Ron turned toward all the other occupants in the room. He knew that everyone was secretly judging him for his actions at the school, even though they didn't know the whole story. If they would have known the circumstances behind his actions then they would not look at him that way. Stuffing his hands in his pocket he stormed from the house to get some fresh air. The tension in the Weasely household was almost suffocating.

"Let him go," his mother stated, as Ginny released her grip on Rachel and began to follow him.

"How is she?" Ginny asked, watching the door slam shut over her shoulder.

"How do you think she is? Look at her," Hermione hissed before she realized it.

Once Rachel's arm was bandaged Mrs. Weasley led a small group up the stairs to help get her settled. The girls offered to be of assistance, but she knew they needed their own moment to breathe. Assuring them, especially Hermione, that she would fetch them once the muggle was settled, allowed them to relax slightly. The rest of the order member retired to the living room, while the girls sat alone in the kitchen.

Ginny noticed Hermione's knees trembling as she appeared to be staring at her blood smeared hands. She knew that even though her friend was calm on the outside, inside she had to be a ticking time bomb.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Hermione whispered without looking up, "I'm sorry I snapped at you."

As much as her heart went out to Hermione for what had happened to Rachel, Ginny felt her own insides aching. While they finally had half of the missing duo back, Harry was once again gone. What would cause her brother, his _best_ friend, to leave him behind? The red head soon found her own head spinning and anger building up in her petite frame. Finally, she stood suddenly causing her chair to bump into the table and Hermione to look up at the disturbance.

"Come on," Ginny stated.

Not even questioning where they were going, Hermione followed after her and out the front door. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the darkness but soon they made out the silhouette of Ron leaning against the fence. With her eyes locked on him, Ginny stormed over ready to give him a piece of her mind. As she opened her mouth her brother looked up at her. The tears streaming down his cheeks caused her to instantly reign in her venting.

"What?" he snapped, using his sleeve as a handkerchief, "You here to bite my head off, too?"

The pair exchanged a cautious look. There was no doubt that Ron was visibly upset over everything but they still needed answers. They had come out there to berate him but upon seeing he had been crying quickly changed their motive.

"Well…"

"We just want to know why you did it," Hermione said, sounding more critical than she meant it to.

"You lot act like I don't care that I left him behind and that Rachel's really hurt because I apparated too quickly. You don't know what happened, none of you know the truth!" he barked and turned away from them.

His shoulders rose and fell as he silently let out a couple sobs. "I hate myself, I really do, but I had no choice!"

"What do you mean you had no choice?" Ginny asked quietly.

She had never seen her big brother in such a state, and it made her uneasy. It was true that Ron usually the "sensitive one", the butt Fred and George's pranks, and growing up the recipient of the abuse of all his older brothers, but never had she seen him break down like this. Even Hermione was shocked to see such emotion from the young man as she had often criticized him his previous lack of empathy.

"Last year, after we got back from Christmas, Harry and I were talking in the dorm one night. We were chatting about you and Rachel, how much you could tell you guys cared for each other, and how we wished we would have a relationship like that some day. And we talked about how awful it had been seeing you that way, Hermione. The more we talked the more we realized we never wanted to see you so broken again. So that night we made, the Unbreakable Vow…"

"What?!" both girls cried.

A stream of questions began to lap over top of each other as the girls demanded new answers. The Unbreakable Vow was not to be taken lightly by any means. It was a ceremony in which two wizards or witches vow to uphold a promise to the other. If the promise is ever broken it would result in the death of the responsible party. A third wizard or witch also needed to be involved in the ceremony as the Bonder. They were the conductor of the ritual…this meant that someone else now knew about Rachel's existence.

"Relax," Ron breathed turning to face them, "we used Neville. Now before you get all excited, you both know we can trust him. We've been around him all term and he hasn't said one word about it now has he? Besides we didn't tell him anything beyond what we were vowing."

"Which was?"

Inhaling, Ron stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Until the threat of You-Know-Who was gone… we…we would protect Rachel at all costs. So when Harry was fighting with Amycus and Rachel was just lying there…he told me to get her out of there. I had to keep my vow and protect her…I swear I meant to get her to safety and then go back for him. But when I got her of school grounds, I saw Snape in the bushes I knew I had to apparate and get her out of there."

A split second later he growled and punched the top of a fence post. "I had no fucking choice!"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Hermione approached her best friend. She was filled with so many emotions at the moment that she felt like she was going to simply burst. They had made a vow to protect her girlfriend at all cost, a vow that if ever broken would result in death. Hermione always knew mow much her friends meant to her but this act confirmed that they simply were the best friends a person could have. Without a word she flung her arms around Ron's waist to embrace him, the tears that she had been trying to hold finally breaking loose.

She wept for Ron's overwhelming guilt, for Rachel's pain, for Harry's sacrifice, for Ginny's fears, for all the trials that were before all of them, and for the short amount of time she knew she had left with Rachel. As she stood there sobbing she felt Ron turn in her arms to wrap his arms around her, and then arms envelop her from behind. The trio remained locked in this embrace for some time, until all the tears they needed to shed had ended.

Breaking apart from one another they heard the front door creak open. Silhouetted in the doorway was Tonks, who waved the group back indoors. Once inside they followed her up the familiar stairs to the second floor. Without as much as a pause on the landing she led them to the spare room.

"She looks a lot worse than she is," Tonks whispered over her shoulder, "Molly has given her a potion to restore the blood she lost. I was told to stress that Rachel is not to be disturbed and woken up in order for the potion to have the full effect. Give her a couple hours and she will be good as new, well probably sore, but that is to be expected."

Reaching the door the auror slowly opened the door into the dimly lit room. Hermione noted instantly that she had not been joking about how Rachel looked… her skin was almost gray in this lighting. Mrs. Weasley was tucking another pillow under her head when they walked in. With a smile she pulled a chair over to the edge of the bed and motioned for Hermione to take a seat. She was certain that once again Hermione would be by Rachel's side until she awoke…just like last time. Nearly falling into the chair from exhaustion the witch began her all-night vigil…sadly this had been something she had grown accustom to doing when it came to her girlfriend.

X X X

The world was fuzzy and his face hurt like hell...this was the reality that Harry had woken up to. Peering around the darkness he fumbled to find his glasses. Instantly he knew he was in trouble when he found a damp stone ground under his searching fingers instead of the grass he had previously been on. How long had he been out? Where were the others? Where was he?

A scream above sounded causing Harry to attempt to leap to his feet. This simple task turned out to be impossible once he felt the heavy iron shackle around his ankle. Cursing aloud he began to fumble through his pockets in hopes by some miracle he still had his wand. Sadly, all he found was lint.

The chain dragged against the ground as he began to frantically crawl looking for his glasses. Perhaps once he could clearly see, he would be able to think of a way out of his current predicament. Soon he found out that he did not have much room to go as he felt the chain stretch to maximum length, resulting in him face-planting into the floor. Moaning he rolled onto his back cupping his bruised face in his hands. His head was pounding with each beat of his racing heart, making him nauseated from the pain. Closing his eyes he willed the pain to subside, it was making it impossible to think.

As he laid in the darkness he heard the distinct sound of footsteps approaching and then the key turn in the lock. The metal door swung open and banged against the wall the sound echoing in his ears. Instincts took over as he rolled to his stomach and clamored to his feet ready to defend himself. The blurry shape laughed as it approached him. His insides turned to ice as the familiar laugh cut to his core.

"Well, well, nice to see you again, Potter."

Harry felt his lips curl into a sneer. "Wish I could say the same, Lucius, but trust me the feeling is not mutual."

He could hear the smile in the adult Malfoy's voice as he replied, "Beaten, blind, chained, and wandless… I think now would not be a good time to be mouthing off."

Clenching his hands into tight fists Harry bit his lip to keep his mouth shut before the next sarcastic statement left it. The death eater did have a point and he knew that if he wanted to he could end Harry's life in a split second.

"Where am I?" he demanded.

"All will be answered my dear boy, but first you have an appearance to make," Lucius stated.

The next sound Harry heard was the click of his shackle releasing itself. Before he has time to react there was a whisper of "Imperio". A tingling sensation raced up and down the young man's limbs. His mind instantly felt as if shut off and he felt as if he was sleepwalking.

"This way, Potter," Lucius taunted turning and exiting the cell.

Following behind the man, Harry ascended the stairs, and into the main room of the manor. If he would have been conscious of his whereabouts he would have realized that he was the deer who had walked into a wolf's den. The screams he had previously heard had ended and a hush had fallen over the room. Several pairs of eyes turned and fixed on the cursed young man. Suddenly, the spell's hold lifted leaving Harry a brief second to try to shake the fog from his head. Before he had the chance to even blink a blinding pain ignited in his head.

Howling in agony he clamped his hand over his head and crumpled to the ground. The pain was so intense he was surprised that his skull had not burst. It didn't even take him a second to know what had caused this sudden reaction. Managing to open his eyes, he saw the pair of pale white feet approach him. A moment later something dropped in young man's line of vision. Reaching out a hand he grabbed his glasses that he had desperately been searching for. Instantly he placed the now bent frames onto his face to bring some clarity to his world.

"Hello Harry," a voiced hissed above him causing Harry's hair to stand on end.

Struggling to regain himself, the young man managed to push himself to his knees.

"Now, now Harry, groveling at my feet will do you no good."

Voldemort's comment caused laughter to break out amongst his followers. Anger rose in Harry's stomach as he pushed himself to his feet. Squaring off his shoulders he glared at his mortal enemy, ignoring the stabbing pain in his scar.

"I would never bow at your feet, _Tom_," he growled, trying to sound braver than he currently felt.

The laughter in the room died instantly and was replaced by an icy feeling. Everyone's eyes had now turned to their master. They knew that he would not take the way Harry spoke to him lightly. Each waited with anticipation for what awaited the illusive boy who lived.

"Oh but you will be...you will be at my feet begging me for mercy very soon, Potter. That is unless you cooperate with me fully," Voldemort said, a slight smile pulling at his pale lips.

"And why would I do that? If you're gonna kill me then just…"

"Why would I want to kill you Harry when I have been looking for you for so long?" he asked innocently.

_What mind game is trying to pull_, Harry thought watching the dark wizard begin to encircle him.

"Well I mean you have tried to, ya know, kill me every time we have met so far. Why would this time be any different?" Harry asked his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Because you have something that I want and I _should_ have right now," Voldemort snapped, pointing his wand toward a man who instantly dropped to the ground in pain.

Harry instantly recognized him as the man from the school who had taken Rachel prisoner. If he was being punished then that must mean…

"You're never going to get her!" Harry snapped, "The others…"

"Oh I believe I will Harry," he interrupted, "it's only a matter of time. After all, she did pledge herself to me in the forest last year. It's only fair that I bring her home to her family," he replied motioning to the group behind him, "she was meant to join my ranks."

This statement enraged Harry. Even the suggestion that Rachel was meant to be involved with dark magic caused his blood to boil. There was not a malicious bone in her body, and there was no way that she would participate in anything involving death eaters.

"You are not her family…we are…and that's where she's going to stay! And besides she never would have pledge herself to you if she hadn't been possessed by you!" Harry cried his fists so tightly balled his knuckles turned white. "You are never going to touch her or destroy her life again!"

"But with me her life will have true purpose. Her powers will be used to their full potential to determine who is worthy to live in my world or who should be eliminated…"

Everything made sense now. He finally understood why Voldemort wanted Rachel so badly. He wanted to use her like as a screening device to determine which people that will be loyal to him. And from the sounds of it Rachel would be permanently possessed by the dark wizard. A flash of her with black eyes, an evil smile, and a top a pile of bodies, including Hermione's, appeared in his mind. Just the thought of this caused his stomach to roll.

"And you…will help me get her back," Voldemort sneered, "or else."

"I choose the or else," Harry hissed, surprising himself with how intimidating he sounded.

The Dark Lord stopped mid stride and let a creepy smile spread across his face. "Have it your way, boy," he said almost sweetly.

Voldemort's smile was terrifying, and he knew that he was most definitely up to something. Before Harry could even react the Dark Lord shouted his command. A wall of black robes descended on the boy before he could even blink. Buried below a dozen or more death eaters, Harry's screams became drowned out. His body burned in pain, his head spun, and soon his world once again shifted to blackness.

Miles away one's world of darkness ended as Rachel suddenly shot straight up in the bed from her drug induced sleep. The last images she saw burned in her mind caused her to shout loud enough for the entire house to hear.

"Harry!" she sobbed on the brink of hyperventilation, "Voldemort has Harry!"


	24. Chapter 24: It Was Only Just a Dream…

**Chapter 24: It Was Only Just a Dream…**

The door was nearly taken off its hinges as it flew open. Members of the order tried to burst in the room at once, resulting in Bill and his father getting wedged in the doorway. Under different circumstances it would have been a comical sight…but this was not the time. Soon the tiny room was full of so many people even breathing was made difficult.

"You have to calm down!" Hermione stated grasping Rachel's violently shaking shoulders.

She knew instantly by looking at Rachel that she should not be up. The color still had not returned to her skin and it appeared that even sitting up had totally drained her strength. Hermione could tell she was trying to remain upright and at the same time jump out of bed. But the pressure applied to her arm to help her up caused her to grimace, and inhale sharply through gritted teeth. The last thing Hermione wanted to happen was for the muggle to injure herself further.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Rachel cried her Irish accent a thing of the past, "He has Harry! And he's torturing him because of me!"

"How do you know?" Remus asked sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"I saw him…I saw the whole thing. Voldemort, he-he wants me back because he wants to use my soul piercing to see who will be loyal to him. But Harry said he w-wouldn't tell them where I am… he said he wouldn't let him get near me again. And they jumped him! They started beating him… he's ch-chained up somewhere and, and…" Rachel sobbed pressing the heel of her hand into her temple. "He's going to hurt him until he cracks or he-he…"

"Breathe, dear, you need to breathe," Mrs. Weasley soothed, squeezing her way through the crowd.

When she reached the girl she began to rub her back and neck. Rachel instantly began to relax. This technique must be taught to every mother because it instantly brought her back to when she was home with her mom. No matter what the situation or how hopeless it might have seemed all Jessica had to do was rub her back and it would instantly be all right.

Inhaling deeply Rachel began to allow herself to think clearly. She knew that from the spinning in her head and the burning in her arm and back that she should not be going anywhere. Even if she wasn't in this state she was still a muggle, there was no way she could go to her friend's rescue. Mrs. Weasley was just beginning to get her to lay down, when Rachel spotted a face in the crowd. Instantly the tranquility that had been settling over her vanished. Without thinking twice and ignoring the pain she launched herself out of the bed. It didn't even appear that she touched the floor before she tackled Ron to the ground. Poor Ron didn't even try to fight back as he slammed into the ground.

"You sack of shit!" she screamed atop the boy "You left him behind! Your mother fucking best friend! How could you do that?! How could you leave Harry behind, this is your fault! All your fucking fault!"

Chaos instantly broke out in the tiny room as the attack occurred in the midst of everyone. At first no one reacted but once the shock of what was occurring wore off they began to break the one sided fight up. In the midst of her hysterics she managed to land a couple solid punches to Ron's face causing a nose bleed. Her arm didn't even hurt. She was seeing red and the cause was the red headed young man. Hermione watched helplessly as her girlfriend was dragged off her best friend by Kingsley and Bill. Tears streamed down Rachel's cheeks as she continued to curse at Ron, not even noticing that her blows had opened some of her wounds on her arm. The bright red blood began to bleed through the bandages that had been wrapped around it.

"That's enough!" Mrs. Weasley barked before throwing everyone out of the room beside the teens and Remus.

The adults wrestled the still thrashing girl into bed. It literally took all their strength to wrangle the girl in before Hermione was able to sit in her lap. Grabbing both sides of her face she forced Rachel to look away from the cause of her rage.

"Rachel!" Hermione whispered, "You need to calm down…you don't know why he did it!"

"I don't fucking care!" she yelled trying to avoid Hermione's gaze. "He's a…a…a traitor!"

Her words caused Ron to stiffen. Rachel was absolutely furious with him and he knew that her mind was made up. He was a traitor, the scum of the earth in her mind. As Hermione tried to reason with the girl to calm her down, he knew it was no good. Rachel didn't understand the Unbreakable Vow and in the state she was in there was no explaining reason to her. Mumbling to just forget everything, Ron slinked from the room and out into the hallway.

Finally, with him gone Rachel began to calm down. Looking into Hermione's eyes she instantly felt a peace settle over her. With her last remaining strength she buried her face into her chest, while allowing her familiar scent to fill her completely. At least she still had her… with the witch by her side; Rachel knew that she would be able to survive anything. Yes, Harry was missing but they would find him…she wouldn't rest until he was safely with her. This thought was the last thing that was on her mind when she sank back into unconsciousness in her love's arms.

X X X

Harry was getting really sick of waking up in a world of pain. His days and nights had begun to run together. Every meeting with the Dark Lord ended the same way. He refused to help him get Rachel back and he was punished for his uncooperativeness. Once the torture was over he would be tossed back into his cell and re-chained to the wall. There he would lay for hours in the darkness, alone.

His mind began to wander while staring up at the ceiling. For the first time in his seventeen years, Harry thought about giving up. The pain he was in was overwhelming. Sometime he would pray when he shut his eyes he would drift off never to awaken. If he died then the secret of where Rachel was hidden would die with him. To be honest he didn't even know if she was still at the Burrow... by now she could be anywhere. Once again knowing that she was out of harm's way was the only thing that caused him to smile.

Each shifting he did caused him to see stars and gasp aloud. There was no comfortable position that he could roll into that relieved the pain. He knew, despite not being able to see himself, that every inch of him was covered in a bruise or another various injury. The boy had suffered more cruciatious curses than he could count. Then when he would be lying on the ground, weakened from the latest spell he would be physically assaulted as well.

Harry knew that Voldemort's patience with him was running very thin. Why he hadn't killed him yet he still didn't know.

The clatter of his feeding tray pulled him from his haze. He heard it slide across the floor before hitting something that caused its contents to fly off from the momentum. He didn't care that his breakfast…lunch…dinner…whatever meal it was supposed to be now was scattered on the ground. Every "meal" was the same: crust of stale bread, a flavorless broth, and a mouthful of water. Not exactly enough food to replenish his strength…but just enough to keep him alive.

Rolling on his side he tried to determine if the bread had landed close enough to him that he wouldn't have to really move. With a sigh, he realized that he would need to crawl a few feet in order to retrieve it.

_Better do it now_, he thought, knowing that if he didn't act and passed out the morsel of food would be gone.

Inhaling he pushed himself to his knees and began the agonizing trek. He had to contain his screams knowing it would only fuel the death eater's fire hearing them. With each movement he swore he heard his bones popping, and his tendons ripping. The chain around his ankle felt as if it weighed thousands of pounds. After a few moments he collapsed onto of the bread panting loudly, not even having the strength to consume it.

"You have to eat it."

There it was again. Lifting his head he peered into the darkness looking for the source. From the corner he saw the individual stand and walk over to him. Crouching down it took the bread in its hands to break it into smaller pieces for Harry to eat.

"Please, don't give up Harry. Just hang on… you know they are going to find you."

The tears could be heard in the voice… they were always there. The visitor arrived his first night there. Ever since then they would appear when Harry seemed to need them the most. At first he was shocked, but after a while it made perfect sense that they would come to him. Now if an extended period of time passed without a visit he grew worried.

"Do you have any clue where you are? Anything that will help them find you?"

Harry didn't even have the strength to respond. Closing his eyes he shook his head. The death eater's made sure that they kept their current location top secret. He didn't even know how to get to the rooms that he was taken to…the Impero curse made sure he got there without difficulty.

"It's okay, they'll figure it out."

A hand touched his cheek, a welcome relief to the punches and slaps he had felt as of recently. He wished he could speak to comfort his visitor. All he could do was open his mouth to allow the pieces of bread to be dropped in before he slowly chewed.

"Promise me you'll be here when I come back."

Swallowing, he nodded to the apparition. He made this promise every time the two of them where together. He wouldn't give up, he would keep fighting. It would be when Rachel stopped coming to see him that he would lose all hope.

X X X

"So this is where you've been hiding."

Cracking her eyes open Rachel couldn't help but smile up at her girlfriend silhouetted in the setting sun. If it was anyone else she would have been angry at being found. She had snuck out of the house to get some air and a few moments of peace. Taking refuge under the tree that the red tail hawk had landed in months ago, she tried to escape the world for a while. The soul piercer had not gotten a moment alone since she arrived over a week ago. Every moment waking or unconscious had been focused with trying to locate Harry.

Everyone in the order was on twenty-four hour watch of the soul piercer in the Burrow. The house and the surrounding acres had been cast with various protection spells. Some were to alert if there was a death eater around. Others cloaked the house as if it were draped with a soundproof invisibility cloak. The main purpose of them was to not let anything dark catch the group of witches and wizards off guard. Rachel's safety was their main priority besides, of course, finding Harry.

Once it was made known that the soul piercer actually seemed to have a connection with Harry, they knew they could use this phenomenon.

"It's called Anamacha Nasctha," Remus explained at the first dinner Rachel was able to join them downstairs. "It's when a soul piercer and another individual are so connected they will often visit one another in their dreams. From my understanding, it's not just the soul piercer experiencing it…the one they are connected with can see you too. Which means you are probably the key to getting Harry back."

Suddenly, all eyes were fixed on the bandaged girl at the end of the table. Swallowing the lump of bread, that suddenly felt more like a stone, Rachel struggled to find her voice. She hated being the center of attention and she now realized that she was going to be just that for a while. From that moment on she spent hours with Remus, Kingsely, or Arthur Weasely going over every single detail of her dreamland encounters. These interviews sometimes lasted into the early morning hours ending with her nodding off at the kitchen table only to once again be interrogated when she would awake a few moments later.

The only time they had, had together in the week was at meals or the two days Rachel had been bedridden. Even then there was never a time when it was just the two of them in the room. Mrs. Weasley was constantly fussing over the muggle or order members were pumping her for information.

After finally getting the clean bill of health, aside from the still healing splinch wounds, Rachel was given a sling and allowed to venture outside the room. As drained as she was it took Hermione holding the reigns for her girlfriend to not go for a five mile run. This was something that the girl often did when she was her most restless and stressed. Right now she was nothing but a tense ball of nerves and all she wanted to do was spend more than five minutes alone with her girlfriend.

Still smiling Rachel tapped the ground next to her not missing this moment to finally be with her. Hermione returned her grin as she realized this fact as well.

"I was looking for you for like ten minutes," she added, taking a seat next to Rachel.

"Hide and seek champion of Liberty Road five years running," Rachel stated leaning against her girlfriend, "Lost my crown when the Anderson twins moved next door. I swear to god those two had magical power, it took hours to just find one of them!"

"Oh I didn't realize I was with a champion," Hermione joked, wrapping her arm around Rachel's shoulder.

"Yup babe, not everyone can be so lucky," Rachel laughed flexing her arm. "You're gonna want to keep someone of my caliber around. Just saying…"

Breaking into laughter Hermione leaned her head against the top of Rachel's. Inhaling deeply, it was the first time in a very long time that she could remember being in any sort of peace. Feeling Rachel's warm body against her own, in the cool autumn night brought comfort to her and seemed to help ease her worried minds…only slightly though. Harry was still out there and from what she had overheard from the soul piercer he was in really bad shape. Without even speaking to her, Hermione knew that Rachel was feeling immense pressure to give the adults some clue to go on.

She also knew that by just looking into her blue eyes that inside Rachel was crumbling. There was no doubt that she was blaming herself for Harry being taken.

"How are you doing with all this?" Hermione finally got up the courage to break the silence. "Really?"

After clearing her throat, Rachel mumbled, "fine...I'm fine."

"Baby…"

"No, Hermione, I don't want to talk about this right now. All I have talked about for the past week was Harry; all I have seen for the past week was Harry or the Weasley's kitchen. All I want to see right now is this sunset with you, and all I want to talk about it anything but that. I'm sorry if that's insensitive but I need a break for a bit…just give me a break for a bit, please," Rachel choked, feeling guilty for wanting a few moments of what life was like before the disappearance.

Saying nothing she took her girlfriend's hand in hers and gently squeezed it. Rachel returned the gesture and turned to look at her. The setting sun's rays reflected in her brown eyes, causing the tiny flecks of gold in them to glisten. Leaning in she finally kissed Hermione. This was something she had been waiting to do since she dropped her off at the airport that summer. It was truly the first moment that the girls had gotten to reunite uninterrupted.

Reaching her hand up, Hermione placed it on Rachel's freckled cheek. Her kiss instantly filled her up, sending energy throughout her body. It was in that moment she realized that this is what she would miss the most…just the two of them being together. But the witch knew what she had to do, and had everything planned out. Today would be her last day with her girlfriend for a long time, quite possibly forever. She didn't want the kiss to end, as she enjoyed every last precious second of it.

Breaking apart, Rachel was shocked to find Hermione staring back at her with teary eyes.

"Jesus, I'm not that bad of a kisser am I?" she instantly cried.

Once again her laugh could not be contained as Hermione pulled her in for a hug. Something else she would miss… hearing Rachel's laugh and the countless sarcastic, witty remarks she made. Her girlfriend always had a way to make her laugh, even in the darkest momenst of her life. As much as she knew that she would be a comfort to her in the trials ahead, she knew she had to keep her safe. But in this moment in time she had peace.

As if on cue noises flooded from the house reminding the girls that they were not truly alone. Even the sound of Ron's voice caused Rachel's blood pressure to rise, and her jaw to tense. She had tried her best to avoid him at all costs…for his safety. Even after the Unbreakable Vow was explained to the muggle she still couldn't bring herself to look at him. In her mind he should have went back for Harry, no excuses. Sensing Rachel's shift Hermione decided to take her to a more peaceful spot to talk.

"Want to go for a walk?" she suggested, quickly wiping her eyes.

"Gladly!" Rachel cried, grinning broadly.

She literally bounced to her feet at the chance of getting to burn off some of her pent-up energy. Knowing the boundary of the spells Hermione took her hand to lead the way. The last thing they needed was for the soul piercer to accidently wander outside the protective dome. The couple walked hand in hand down the dirt path toward the water's edge. Hermione knew that water seemed to have a calming effect on Rachel, so that is where she began to lead her.

After strolling almost a quarter mile away the sounds from inside the Burrow began to fade away. Tranquility once again began to settle over them as they reached the wetlands that surrounded the Weasley home. While they walked the only sound was the scuffing of their shoes again the earth. Peering out at the body of water Rachel let go of Hermione's hand and took a couple steps toward it. The water was not the clearest she had ever seen but none the less the Pisces instantly felt at home. Stretching her hands out, she inhaled deeply, relishing in the moment.

"Sometimes I forget what it was like before..."

That statement was said just above a whisper, but Hermione had still heard it. It was the first time since Rachel had learned what she truly was that she almost sounded like she was still in the dark about everything.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked from behind her.

Rachel instantly stopped upon realizing that she had spoken her thought aloud. "Nothing," she chuckled turning to face her Gryffindor.

"No…what?" Hermione coaxed, "Talk to me, Rachel."

Dropping her hands to her side, she sighed. "I don't know…I just forget what it's like to _not_ be in mortal danger. I can hardly remember what it's like to be… normal. To be able to go where ever I want, whenever I want…to go to the movies with friends…to be in school…to be with Ripper…my parents…." Her statement trailed off as she entered her own world, "I know this sounds so selfish, and I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Hermione whispered taking a step toward her, "You're right. You had a life before all this happened. A normal…safe…happy life. It's unfair that you were brought into this world under such violent events."

Rachel looked at her. She didn't like the way the witch was talking, and she knew that she had perhaps offended her.

"But I found you…that makes up for everything," she said sweetly, reaching out a hand to caress her cheek.

Before her hand could make contact Hermione stepped away. Once again Rachel saw tears in her eyes, and she instantly knew she had hurt her girlfriend's feelings.

"Hermione, I didn't mean that all honest. I love being surrounded by magic, I love knowing what I am, I love you…"

"Shut up!" Hermione snapped instantly silencing her, "Don't say another word because this is already fucking agonizing to do without you telling me that!"

Never in their entire relationship had she heard Hermione curse like that. Rachel's throat began to tighten as she watched her girlfriend reach behind her. She knew what she was doing before Hermione even showed her, her wand.

"Hermione…baby…what are you doing?" she whispered feeling her heart race in her chest.

"Keeping a promise to myself. I have to keep you safe, you are my number one priority, and because I love you so much I have to send you away," Hermione choked pointing the wand at the soul piercer.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Rachel snapped, not even recoiling at the wand pointed at her, "You can't make me!"

Hermione's eyes softened as she saw the tears begin to form in her eyes. Tears that she knew she was causing. "You know I can…please don't make this hard on me…please let me keep you safe. I can't bear to lose you again, Rachel. I can't survive one more time of wondering whether you are alive or dead. I can't stand seeing you covered in blood. I can't see you hurt one…more…time because of magic. I'm choosing to keep you safe."

"Hermione," she spoke softly, "There are so many things we don't get to choose in life. I feel most of life is bound by fate or circumstances. People enter your life at a time when they are supposed to and not a moment before…you don't get to choose that. But the one thing I feel we do get to choose is who we get to spend our life with," Rachel said looking deep into her eyes straight into her beautiful, loving, pure soul in which she saw her future. "Everything that has happened since I met you was meant to be, and I accepted that when I fell in love with you that things could be dangerous. That didn't stop me. No matter what fate has or will throw at me now that you're in my life, I'm willing to face it. You're worth all of it, Hermione, the good and the bad."

Rachel's words went straight to her heart. The witch always knew that her love for her was very passionate and ran deep…but never did she expect such a confession. Tears rolled down her face as she watched the soul piercer take another advancing step toward her. So close in fact that the tip of her wand was almost touching her. Her blue eyes pleaded with her, begging her not to do what she was planning. But it was too late now…it had to be done.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, "Soon this will all have been just a dream."

"Please don't…"

"Obliviate."


	25. Author's Note

Hey Everyone,

I wanted to apologize for the lack of updates lately. My father suffered a stroke at the beginning of May and then passed away on the 21st. My head and heart haven't been in the best place and unfortunately my desire to write has kind of been taken away. I promise that my story will be continued once I can wrap my head around everything.

Thank you for understanding,

RP


	26. Chapter 25: The Spring's Tale

**Chapter 25: The Spring's Tale**

"Promise me you'll still be here when I …"

**"**Rach? You awake, yet?"

The familiar voice floated from the kitchen and into her sleep. The dark, dank place she found herself in her dreams melted away instantly. The last image registering was pair of emerald eyes as they closed. With her head still pounding she rolled over and stretched… her surroundings came into focus. Familiar walls, familiar furniture, familiar everything…who ever would have guessed that this place would begin to feel like home after such as short period of time? Stretching out her hand she ran it along the cool sheet next to her. Staring up at the ceiling she blinked several times before looking at her watch.

"Ugh!" she groaned letting her arm flop over her eyes, "It's so early!"

A laugh sounded in the kitchen as the smell of coffee wafted into the bedroom.

_Ah she's awesome_, she thought knowing that she would have a fresh cup waiting for her when she emerged from her room.

Caffeine was the only way that Rachel was even going to be able to function today. Last night seemed like a distant memory and was quite fuzzy. The last thing she remembered was standing by water and then ... nothing. Music pounded overhead, despite the early hour, pulling her from her vain recollection of the previous evening's events. Voices could be heard both on the floors above her and below her as well as from outside. The excitement could be felt even in the air…

_Never a dull moment around this place_, she thought with a laugh as she scratched her neck.

This simple, almost mindless act suddenly caused the girl to wake fully. Her eyes grew wide as she shot straight up into a sitting position. Reaching up both hands she frantically searched her neck and then the inside of her shirt. While still seated Rachel dug through her blankets and sheets, cursing to herself the entire time.

"Shit….no…no!" she whispered, leaping from the bed tossing her pillows and bedding about the room. "Where is it? Where the fuck is it?! I had it on last night…I know I did."

Abandoning her search of her bed she scampered across the room and began to dig through the contents scatted across the top of her dresser. Nothing. The rest of her worldly possessions were in the room, just not the one she was seeking.

If only she could remember what she did last night maybe she would know where her necklace had ended up. Pulling the door open she burst into the hallway. Skidding in socks she slid into the occupied kitchen, bumping into the kitchen table. The commotion caused the young woman to turn around, cup of coffee in hand.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" she asked jumping at Rachel's unconventional entrance.

"Have you seen my…"

"Table by door," she finished before the blue eyed girl even finished her question.

Sometimes it was like they were one entity. They always seemed able to finish the other one's sentence…even thought. That sort of thing is something that is to be expected when two people spend as much time as they do together. Rachel knew this, and that is why she was not surprised to find the missing jewelry right where she was told it would be waiting for her.

"Thank you!" she cried as she lifted the silver chain from the small table.

Walking back into the kitchen she clasped the chain letting the silver ring pendent bounce off her chest. This necklace was the last piece of her late girlfriend. From the moment she received the unexpected mail with the metal ring inscribed with, "this too shall pass" it had become her most treasured piece of jewelry. According to the note from Beth's mother that was attached, the necklace should have been Beth's last Christmas present.

Once her cherished possession was in its rightful place, she was able to release the breath she had been holding. Looking up, she took the cup of coffee that had been offered to her. Smiling at the green eyed girl, Rachel took a seat at their kitchen table.

"How you feeling, sunshine?" the girl asked.

"Ugh, I blame you," Rachel groaned taking a sip, "you weren't supposed to let me drink that much. Some best friend you are!"

"Uh excuse me? If I remember correctly we were meant to go out to have _a_ drink because we have class today. Then you saw a pair of pretty eyes and threatened to punch me if I didn't let you do shots with those sorority girls in the pub by the river."

"Oh yeah…" Rachel laughed running her fingers through her shortened choppy length hair. "Damn they were cute…who knew Scottish girls were sooo….ahhh!"

"They were straight, Rach," her roommate laughed leaning against the kitchen counter. "But I applaud your effort to turn them. I could see that redhead think about it for a split second."

"Hey! I have skills. It's only a matter of time before I work my powers on you, Nic," Rachel joked, raising her eyebrows. "Come to the dark side we have rainbow sprinkled cookies!"

"Keep dreaming," she smirked, finishing her coffee, "Speaking of dreaming… I thought I heard you talking in your sleep last night. Everything alright? "

"Eh…you know just the normal. Green eyed boy, brown curly haired girl, me making promises to them about staying safe, no clue who they are... yadda, yadda, yadda," Rachel sighed placing her face in her hand, "It's so annoying…what I would do to have a flying dream for once! Hell I would even mind one when I showed up naked for class."

The girl couldn't help but laugh at her friend wishing she would have what most people would consider a nightmare. Just looking into her eyes she knew that she was troubled by what she saw at night. She wished she could comfort her and give her the answers that she was seeking. So with a smile she put her mug in the sink and spoke over her shoulder, "well I don't know about you but I have class in an hour…will you be joining me?"

Wrinkling up her nose and with a sigh, Rachel nodded. Today was the last day before their spring break and it was taking every effort possible to go to all her classes that day. It had been such a stressful semester for the girl, who started off her college experience on a bad note. All she had to do was to make it through a two hour Introduction to English class, a two hour Introduction to Ancient Philosophy, and a two hour Introduction to Medieval Art class . . . quite a class load to tackle on a hangover. Standing she headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower before heading to campus a few blocks away.

As she undressed she paused like she did every day to stare down at the mysterious scar that crossed her abdomen. Lightly she traced the raised pink skin, hoping for something…anything to the multiple questions she had. It was like a giant chunk of her past had vanished…but apparently this was a normal symptom of head trauma.

It had been almost eight months since she had awoken in the small white room. The beep of the machines around her and the antiseptic smell only worsened her stupor. Raising her hand she rubbed her pounding head as she looked around the room. Where was she? How had she ended up in a hospital bed? The last thing she remembered was…what was the last thing she remembered? Groaning she struggled to sit up only to find her right arm was basically useless and covered in bandages.

"Oh my god!"

Rachel jumped at the unfamiliar voice. A head of blondish brown hair was instantly at her side trying to keep her from moving. Drawing back from the young woman's touch, she winced as a pain in her side and back. Her blue eyes went wide in fear as she tried to take in what was going on. The young woman, no older than nineteen, sat on the edge of the hospital bed, a look of honest concern on her face. Her green eyes even held traces of tears as she reached out toward Rachel.

"I was so afraid you were never going to wake up," she whispered. "How are you feeling?"

The machines sounded the alarm as the young girl's heart rate sky rocketed. As the stranger tried to calm the girl's nerves a woman in a white coat entered upon seeing her patient's vitals rise. Rachel noticed the smiles on both women's faces as they stared at her.

"Ah Ms. West," she said her voice thick with a Scottish brogue, "You gave a lot of people quite a fright. . ."

"I told you she was going to wake up!" the girl cried grasping Rachel's leg. "I knew that she wasn't going to…"

"Excuse me would someone please start talking and tell me what…the…_fuck_…is going on!" Rachel spat her head beginning to spin violently. "Who are you?"

The young woman stopped to stare at her. "Rachel…it's me…Nicola…you know… your roommate?" she paused at the confused look on the girl's face. "your best friend?"

A nauseous feeling washed over Rachel upon hearing this. For her entire life she had, had only one best friend. Now, before her was a thin girl with a fauxhawk claiming to be her best friend and she had absolutely no clue who she even was. Slowly she shook her head causing tears to spill from Nicola's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Rachel mumbled, placing her hand on her head bringing the IV tubes with her, "I'm sorry Nicola is it?"

"Call me Nic… you always do…" her voice trailed off.

"Nic," Rachel continued, "please don't get more upset but I don't have a clue who you are or where I am even at…"

"This is completely normal for someone who went through what you did," the doctor interjected over the blue eyed girl's statement. "The memory loss will come back on its own given some time."

"Wait…what?"

The silence in the room was thick as both the Nicola and the doctor exchange a look. Each of their faces both read, "should we tell her?" Clearing her throat, the young woman eased forward and placed a hand on her knee.

"Rach, what's the last thing you remember?"

This should have been a fairly easy question for an eighteen year old to answer. Now, Rachel didn't have the best memory in the world but she found herself struggling for the last clear thought she could even remember. Trying her best to concentrate she closed her eyes, hoping that taking away some external stimulation would help. The images she saw in her mind's eye made absolutely no sense to her. It was just bits and pieces, as if someone has spliced together an old home movie. One second she saw green eyes, brown eyes, and then she heard a female screaming her name, followed by intense pain. Recapping what she saw to the two others in the room, Rachel opened her eyes hoping for come clarity.

Nicola peered at her with green eyes, Rachel assumed the same eyes she seen in her memory. "We were walking back to our place after class two days ago when you got a phone call. You dropped the phone and started to sob. I tried to calm you down but you were so upset that I guess you didn't see the stairs. Before I could grab you, you fell down them into the metro station hitting every metal step on the way down. I thought you broke your neck! When I got to the bottom you were out cold and your arm was all tore up."

Well it certainly did explain the hospital stay, and it did also sound like something Rachel would do. She wasn't the most graceful by any means. Also she knew that when she is upset everything else seemed to disappear…this included her surroundings. All in all this sounded like a reasonable explanation of events. Though one thing still remained unanswered…

"What was the phone call about…"

Before Nic could begin to answer her, the doctor stepped forward. Tests had to be done to be sure no permanent damage had occurred in the spill. It was hard for the girl to even concentrate on what the doctor was saying as she began her cognitive assessments. She knew based on what happened and the way that Nicola was avoiding her eye contact that she might not want to know who was on the other end of the phone. It was determined that the only effects of the fall would be some soreness, a concussion, and the memory loss. With the doctor's signature Rachel was given the clear to be discharged and the promise that her memories would eventually return.

The next hour only seemed to cause more confusion for Rachel. Her door turned into a revolving one as nurses, doctors, and other hospital personal continuously filed into the room. The more questions that were asked the more Rachel realized how much of her memory had been effected. Anything that had to do with her current life, no matter how simple, she seemed to have to look at her "best friend" for help. Without even missing a beat the stranger answered whatever she could that Rachel could not. Once all the information was gathered and the final papers signed the eighteen year old was wheeled to the front doors of the hospital. Stepping out onto the sidewalk she suddenly realized she was not in America anymore.

All around her were large buildings. A river cut through the city and wound its way around the bend and out of sight. Cars very different from ones she was used to seeing passed by on the wrong sides of the road. Music could be heard all around her over the constant sound of traffic. Looking up at the flagpole near them, Rachel saw the blue and white cloth flapping in the breeze.

"I mean I should have guessed from all their accents I wasn't home anymore," Rachel thought aloud that caused Nicola to laugh. "Guess that explains why my folks aren't here…"

"I promised them I'd take care of ya. Come on Rach, let's get you home," she said, smiling sweetly as she tried to flag down a taxi. "I'll try to fill you in on the way."

"How do I know you aren't going to take me somewhere to murder me and sell my organs on the black market?" Rachel shouted over the rush of the busy city streets.

As the taxi stopped, the girl turned around to face Rachel. There an unmistakable glint in her eye that she recognized…trust. "Because we both know your body parts wouldn't fetch any money," she joked.

Breaking into her, own laughter Rachel climbed in the taxi for the twenty minute ride home. While in the car she began to ask questions to try to regain some facts about things that were supposedly every day, normal life. The two of them were roommates at the University of Glasgow; they had been placed together due to them both being international students, Nicola Williams was from the neighboring state to Rachel's home state, Ohio.

Nicola had chosen the University of Glasgow because her parents were originally from Great Britain. They had moved to America when her mother had been offered a job. While in the states they had their daughter and son, which explained her lack of accent, but the four of them returned to England temporarily when the girl had been around ten. They only remained there a few months before they returned back to Ohio, where they still resided to this day.

"I wanted to be over here since I didn't get to grow up in England," she said as the taxi stopped in front of a large red brick building.

"But why here, why not try to go to Oxford or somewhere in England?" Rachel asked with a wince as she climbed out of the car.

"Because my calling was here," she replied, paying the taxi driver.

Leaving it at that, Rachel followed her friend into their apartment building and up the six flights of stairs to their home. Walking into the apartment she instantly could tell that she did in fact live there. Her favorite sweatshirt hung on the back of one of the kitchen chairs, in the living room her computer sat next to a pile of books, pictures of her and Nicola, as well as pictures of the pair with other people covered the fridge, some even included Rachel and Beth, though they appeared to be older; it was a surreal experience for the girl. She knew this was her home, yet she had no connection to the space.

"So how long have we lived here?"

"Semester started almost two months ago," Nicola answered, "Been pretty hellish so far…"

"I can imagine," Rachel said nonchalantly wandering around the apartment.

Nicola continued to speak about their classes while the girl tried to spot something to jog her memory. Why did none of this seem familiar? She had been living here for almost two months and it was like she was walking into this place for the first time. It was apparent from the candid photos that she had a life beginning here but yet it felt like a black hole.

_This is so frustrating_, she thought angrily, pressing her hand into her temple, _why could she not remember any of this? Why could she not remember Nic? Why could she not remember…_

Suddenly, she realized she still didn't have all the answers to her questions. There was something she still wanted to know.

"Nic," she started softly, "What was that phone call about? The one that made me have the accident?"

Silence filled the apartment; a silence that Rachel knew immediately was not common for this place. Clearing her throat, the green eyed girl pulled a chair out. "You're going to want to sit down," she whispered.

Trembling broke out in Rachel's limbs as she tried to make her way to the chair. The walk felt like a walk to death row as she knew the story behind the phone call was going to change her life. Trying to steady her breathing, Rachel eased herself into the chair. Looking up at her roommate she attempted to swallow the lump in her throat. Nicola could hardly look at her as she wrung her hands. "Just tell me," the blue eyed girl pleaded.

Inhaling deeply, Nicola looked up at her. "It was your mom on the phone, Rachel. I called her after your fall and she told me what was going on. I'm so so so sorry to tell you this but…but something's happen," she said her voice trembling causing some of her words to break, "to… Beth."

The drumming of Rachel's heart immediately ceased as her worse fear was becoming her reality. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen her girlfriend, probably due to the fall, but she knew that they had to of met up since they now were living in the same country. In fact, Rachel was almost certain that was the reason she had chosen that school to attend. Stupid memory loss.

"What about her?"

"Your mom said that she…she was camping with some of her friends this weekend and they didn't come home. A search party was sent out for them…they found uh…their…bodies," Nicola said, tears welling up in her eyes. "They are thinking they were...mur-murdered."

Rachel's world stopped turning and everything began to tunnel. No, there had to be some mistake…it couldn't of been _her_ Beth. It had to of been a girl that looked like her. Nothing like that could happen to her girlfriend. Closing her eyes she felt her lungs were no longer working. How could this be? How could happen to her? How could some monster hurt her sweet, beautiful Beth?

As the words sunk into her heart, the sobs began without her even noticing. Her body quaked uncontrollably as they tore through her cutting to her very core. When she felt herself begin to fall, a pair of arms was there to catch her. In Nicola's arms she cried her heart out…her very reason for living was gone, her soul mate had been taken away from her. She didn't know how long she remained wrapped in her friend's embrace before the tears stopped, but when they had she realized she had left a large wet spot on her friend's shirt.

"Sorry…" she started, but was instantly cut off.

"Don't be. This is about you and Beth," Nicola smiled, causing Rachel to as well, "Besides not the first time this has happened."

Rachel gave her a perplexed look. "You have a tendency to get very emotional when you are drinking, when you are stressed, when you don't understand your homework, when you are awake…are you sensing a pattern here, Rach?" she asked, then quickly added, "Sorry I don't do comforting well…it's the British in me."

She couldn't help it. Rachel felt the corners of her mouth pull upwards. It started as a giggle, but soon turned into a full fledge laugh. How it was possible that she could be laughing at a time like this? Somehow…someway this girl knew what she needed at that exact moment.

Now, the last week in April the pair had a bond that most friends would dream of having in a lifetime. Walking in the spring sun the pair knew that all they had to do was make it through today and they could have a week of adventure. The game plan was once classes were over they were going to meet back at their place. From there they would head to their favorite pub for dinner and drinks until the sun came up. Then once they recovered from the night before they were to head over to England to stay with Nicola's family. Both girls were excited to get away from the stress of school for the week and just let loose…well more than they normally did.

Their Introduction to English class they settled down for the day's lecture. Nicola took her normal seat in the front of the room which meant Rachel had to as well, despite her protests. The green eyed girl was by far the better student of the two, and loved to engross herself in the world of knowledge. Honestly, she was the only reason that the West girl was even passing some of her classes.

Ten o'clock struck and a silence fell over the noisy room. The pepper-haired professor began her lecture and instantly Rachel felt her eye lids dropping. The woman in her early sixties has a monotone voice and absolutely no facial expression on her round face. All her students struggled to remain awake in her classroom…all except one. Nicola sat up, looking almost perky as she scribbled down her notes.

An hour in their instructor was still going strong and there appeared to be no chance of an early dismissal. "And now the most famous playwright of all, William Shakespeare. There is no record of his birth, but he was baptized on April 26, 1564. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" His extant works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, the authorship of some of which is uncertain. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of aplaying company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613 at age 49, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others…" she said in basically one long winded breath.

_Oh…my…god_, Rachel thought, fighting the urge to shove her pen through her eye socket, _this is torturous!_

Even though she was sitting in the very front of the room Rachel felt herself slipping into unconsciousness. Laying her head on her desk she half listened to her professor drone on about the works of the famous Englishman. Ah the world of daydreams welcomed her home after only about two minutes. Just when she was about to leap into the air and fly a hard poke pulled her back into reality. Literally jumping awake, Rachel found her instructor standing over her.

"Am I boring you Ms. West?" she said with her thick British accent.

"No….no ma'am…I…I…"

"That's what I thought," she added curtly before turning her attention back to the class.

Silently, Nicola laughed and received a mouthed, "shut up" from Rachel. With a huff she picked up her pen and tried her best to listen. It was no used though. Her mind was officially on vacation. So as to not earn more ridicule from her teacher, she propped her head up with her hand and began to absent mindedly doodle, half listening.

"And now we will discuss one of his most famous plays, _The Winter's Tale_. It was originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have re-labeled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics consider it to be one of Shakespeare's "problem plays", because the first three acts are filled with intense psychological drama, while the last two acts are comedic and supply a happy ending. Our story begins when King Leontes of Sicilia begs his childhood friend, King Polixenes of Bohemia, to extend his visit to Sicilia. Polixenes protests that he has been away from his kingdom for nine months, but after Leontes' pregnant wife, Hermione, pleads with him he relents and agrees to stay a little longer…"

A surge of energy suddenly passed through Rachel's body starting in her head. It was a feeling she could only describe of repeatedly standing up too quickly. She had no clue what this sudden sickness was and what had caused it. Stifling a moan she placed a hand over her eyes. In the peace of the darkness she saw a flash of curly brown hair…it was the girl that had been haunting her dreams. A tightness formed in her chest and she felt as if she was going to be sick.

Taking a calming breath she tried to focus on the monotone words of the professor. It was obvious that she had missed some of the play's synopsis when that strange feeling hit. "…Camillo an honest man, and that Leontes will have no heir until his lost daughter is found. Leontes shuns the news, refusing to believe it as the truth. As this news is revealed, word comes that Leontes's son, Mamillius, has died of a wasting sickness brought on by the accusations against his mother. Hermione, meanwhile…"

The pen dropped from her hand and rolled off her desk. It skittered across the floor once again bringing attention to the girl in the front row. Gripping both sides of her desk, Rachel felt as if she was going to hyperventilate. Closing her eyes she tried to will her heart to slow down. While her eyes remained shut she saw a face with chocolate brown eyes, very similar to what Beth's had been. The girl smiled as her, and Rachel felt her head spin.

_I know her_, she thought, concentrating on the smiling girl_, but how do I know her?!_

Could it be? Yes, a memory was coming back through the haze of the past eight months. But why now? What could have triggered it? The vision was from Rachel's point of view as she reached out and took the girl's hand. It was a silent movie as the familiar stranger's lips moved and no sound was emitted. The blue eyed girl could feel a smile pull at her lips, and her heart flutter. Leaning forward, she sweetly kissed the girl then gently caressed her check. The silence was suddenly destroyed by the girl's British accent as she whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Rachel found herself answer, "so much, Hermione."

The gasp burst from her lungs, as Rachel flung her chair backwards with such force it toppled over. All eyes were now on her as she stood there panting, her hands pressed into her temples. Not even hearing Nicola's shouts, the girl scooped up her bag and bolted from the room. Stumbling down the hallway, her legs barely staying under her she dug through the book bag until she finally found what she was looking for. Flipping her cellphone opened she didn't hesitate in hitting one on her speed dial. Two rings and halfway through the third one later a familiar voice picked up.

"Mom?" Rachel said in a tone any parent would instantly know as distress.

"Rachel? What's wrong? Are you okay?" her mother's voice filtered through the receiver from thousands of miles away.

"No, something just happened when I was in class. I think my memories are starting to come back," she said, flinging open the doors to the main entrance of the building.  
A silence answered her at first but then she heard an almost tremble in her voice as she answered, "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Rachel nearly screamed, stumbling into the almost vacant courtyard. "I saw the girl from my dreams, but this time I called her by her name. Mom…who is Hermione?"

"Where is Nicola?"

"What? She's in class still… what does that matter? Mom do you know who she is?" Rachel asked, knowing that she sounded incredibly pathetic. "Please tell me she is at least real because I have to tell you I feel like I am losing my mind right now!"

"Go back to your apartment and call me once you're there."

"What?"

"I've got to go. Do as I say," Jessica said hastily, and before Rachel could respond she disconnected the call.

"Mom? MOM?!" Rachel screamed into the phone not caring what attention it brought to her.

Immediately she tried to call her back, but it went straight to voicemail. This didn't make sense; she thought for sure that her mother of all people would be ecstatic about this latest development. Slumping down on a bench Rachel placed her face in her hands. She could feel the tears of frustration burning her eyes. As she sat there she tried to figure out the past fifteen extremely chaotic minutes. Trying to retreat into her own little world she didn't even hear the approaching footsteps from behind.

"Ah Rachel West….we meet again…"


End file.
